Rufus Way Smith (American, 1840-1900). Oil on board. Signed and dated "R. Way Smith '84" in red on lower right. Inscription on the back seems to read "His Fellow" or "This Follows." A bucolic landscape by American artist Rufus Way Smith presenting a tranquil expanse of verdant land dotted by two staffage figures - one dressed in red and white, the other in blue - strolling in the vicinity of a farmhouse set amidst a grove of trees, with rolling white clouds moving across the blue and lavender skies above. A lovely pastoral scene, most likely in the American Midwest or possibly New England, set in a gold-painted wood frame. Size: 13.75" W x 7.875" H (34.9 cm x 20 cm); 20" W x 14.125" H (50.8 cm x 35.9 cm) framed.
Rufus Way Smith was successful landscape painter who was active in Cleveland and the American South from 1879 until 1897. Born in Bedford, Ohio, his family moved to Cleveland in 1850 when he was 10 years old. In Cleveland, Smith studied under revered Ohio artist Jarvis F. Hanks. When Hanks passed away in 1853, Smith decided to study law at Hiram College and Ohio University. Although he practiced law in Cleveland, in 1894 "his love of art became a force too potent to be resisted," according to his biographer. He then studied art for two years in Philadelphia and New York before returning to Cleveland in 1877 to have his first exhibition at Cleveland Art Academy. Smith was quite successful as a painter for the next 18 years, creating paintings of Ohio and New England scenes; however, in 1885 he sojourned through the South to New Orleans.
Provenance: private Glorieta, New Mexico, USA collection
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#149429
Condition
Some expected age wear to the painting that we feel imbues it with charm; imagery is still lovely. Signed in red on lower right. Age wear to the frame as well, but still intact and serviceable. Some handwritten notes on the verso including what appears to be "His Fellow" or "This Follows" - perhaps the title of the work.