William Robinson Leigh (1866–1955), The Colts’ Yard at Stony Ford, New York, ca. 1896. Oil on board, 15½ x 23½ in. Available at Debra Force Fine Art, New York, NY.

William Robinson Leigh (1866–1955)
The Colts’ Yard at Stony Ford, New York
William Robinson Leigh is best known for his dramatic depictions of the American West and Southwest, but early in his career, he made illustrations for Scribner’s Magazine. In 1896, he was sent on assignment to Stony Ford Farm, an estate and horse-breeding farm near Middletown, New York, to create paintings to accompany two articles on trotting horses. The current example is one of these paintings and shows a group of Hambletonian horses—descendants of a famous English racehorse trained for travel on roads—rendered in precise detail which captures the individual characteristics of the horses in addition to demonstrating the artist’s academic training and skilled draftsmanship.
Debra Force Fine Art
13 E. 69th Street, Suite 4F • New York, NY 10021 (212) 734-3636 • info@debraforce.com www.debraforce.com

Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), The Rose Pink Bodice. Oil on canvas, 30¼ x 251⁄8 in., signed upper left. Available at Hawthorne Fine Art, New York, NY.

Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919)
The Rose Pink Bodice
A distinguished American artist, J. Alden Weir was a founder of the Society of American Artists and the Ten American Painters, a president of National Academy of Design, and a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Weir’s figurative work The Rose Pink Bodice was first exhibited in 1904 at the New Haven Paint and Clay Club, and in subsequent years appeared in exhibitions at major institutions including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. It was included in Weir’s memorial exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1924.

Birger Sandzén (1871-1954), Pine Tree in Rocky Mountain National Park, ca. 1919-21. Oil on canvas, 241⁄8 x 201⁄8 in., signed lower right. Available at Reed Antiques, Saint Petersburg, FL.

Birger Sandzén (1871-1954)
Pine Tree in Rocky Mountain National Park
Birger Sandzén, a Swedish-born artist who immigrated to the United States in 1894, became celebrated for his dynamic landscapes of the American West, blending impressionist techniques with bold, vibrant colors and thick impasto. Settling in Lindsborg, Kansas, he taught art at Bethany College for over 50 years while frequently traveling to paint en plein air in regions like Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Created circa 1919 to 1921, Pine Tree in Rocky Mountain National Park captures a solitary pine amid rugged rocks and distant peaks, using a palette of lush greens, earthy tones and luminous blues to convey the raw energy and majesty of the landscape. This work exemplifies his early U.S. period, influenced by his European training and fascination with America’s natural grandeur. Sandzén’s paintings have been exhibited at major venues like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Corcoran Gallery, with his legacy preserved at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg.

William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), A Lady in Black (The Red Shawl), 1883. Watercolor on paper, 15¼ x 11¾ in., signed and dated ‘1883’ lower left. Available at Thomas Colville Fine Art, Guilford, CT.

William Merritt Chase (1849-1916)
A Lady in Black (The Red Shawl)
William Merritt Chase painted several portraits of women in black dresses throughout his career, the most notable being the 1888 painting Lady in Black, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It won a silver medal at the Paris Salon of 1891. The piece shown here, A Lady in Black (The Red Shawl) from 1883, is another example of note. In 1881, Chase had returned to Europe where he spent time with Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent in Paris, and went to Spain to study works at the Prado by Velázquez, who he greatly admired and whose influence was lastingly apparent in much of his painting. The watercolor depicts Chase’s future sister-in-law Virginia Gerson and was exhibited in several venues beginning the year it was painted to critical acclaim.