Neal Auction 2012

W denotes the lot is illustrated at www.nealauction.com 87 366. Ellsworth Woodward (American/New Orleans, 1861-1939) , “French Market, New Orleans, Louisiana”, 1886, watercolor and gouache en grisaille on paper, signed and dated lower left, titled lower center, handwritten inscription with extensive family provenance en verso, 12 7/8 in. x 17 3/4 in., framed. $5000/7500 Note: Ellsworth Woodward came to New Orleans in 1885 to take the position of Assistant Professor of Painting & Drawing at Tulane University under his brother William Woodward. That same year he created an etching of the French Market in addition to prints of other locales around the city. The work offered here is dated Jan. 1, 1886 and presents a realistic, detailed view of the French Market rendered en grisaille . This grey scale tonality often indicates that an artist has created a work with the intention that it be used as an illustration. The activities and energy of the French Market certainly provided inspiration for many 19th century artists. Located at its current site since 1790, only some of the original early 19th century structures that form the French Market remain today. Around the year 1833 several buildings, known collectively as the Red Stores, were built in the space between the Vegetable Market and the levee. With the organization of the French Market Corporation in 1932 came some redevelopment and modernization of the market, with several structures, including the Red Stores, being lost. 367. Robert Rucker (Louisiana, 1932- 2001) , “Rooster in Acadian Barnyard”, 1971, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, inscribed en verso, 24 in. x 30 in., framed. $2500/3500 368. Luis Graner y Arrufi (Spanish, 1862-1929, active New Orleans c. 1914- 1922) , “Young Girl in a Verdant Garden”, 1911, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left, 50 in. x 40 in., framed. $15000/25000 Note: A native of Barcelona, Spain, Luis Graner y Arrufi studied art in his hometown and in Paris where he was welcomed into the art circles and remained for five years. Graner exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1895 to 1910 and won exhibition medals in Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin and Paris. Graner came to New York in 1910. He also traveled to California and spent the winters in New Orleans from 1914 to 1922. The work offered here is dated 1911 and was likely a portrait commission. The grand scale of the painting and sensitive treatment of the sitter relate it to the work of his European contemporaries John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. The lush verdant background with its dappled sunlight reflects the influence of the American Impressionists whose work he would have seen during these first years in the U.S. The marrying of these artistic sensibilities results in a beautifully painted composition which transcends strict portraiture. 366 367 368