Frederick Judd Waugh Original Laguna Beach California Seascape Surf Waves on Rocks Antique Plein Air Impressionist Oil Painting
Frederick Judd Waugh (September 13, 1861, in Bordentown, NJ September 10, 1940).
Frederick Judd Waugh was an American artist known primarily for his marine paintings. He was born in Bordentown, New Jersey in 1861, and his father was a famous portrait painter in Philadelphia named Samuel Waugh. Frederick studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Thomas Eakins and then went on to study at the Académie Julian in Paris with Adolphe-William Bouguereau. After leaving Paris, he moved to the island of Sark in the English Channel, where he made a living as a seascape painter.
In 1908, Waugh returned to the United States and settled in Montclair Heights, New Jersey. He had no studio until William T. Evans, an art collector and president of the dry goods firm Mills Gibbs Corporation, offered him one in exchange for one painting per year. Later on, he lived on Bailey Island, Maine, and in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Waugh's marine paintings were highly praised, and he won the Popular Prize at the Carnegie International Exhibition for five consecutive years, a feat that no other artist has accomplished. He was also a judge of the art exhibit on Monhegan Island, ME during the 1914 Ter-Centenary celebration of the Voyage of Captain John Smith.
In addition to his marine paintings, Waugh also produced work on legendary and mythological themes, such as his 1921 sketch "Levitation in Dream No. 3" and his painting "The Knight of the Holy Grail" from around 1912. He occasionally published work in periodicals like The Green Sheaf, for which he contributed at least one illustration. During World War I, he designed ship camouflage for the U.S. Navy under the direction of Everett L. Warner.
A very lovely painting. The painting's palette and moody atmosphere, as well as the subject, are very similar to another painting by Frederick Judd Waugh, "The Next Wave." The painting is in good and stable overall condition. There were two very tiny, (less than 1/8 of an inch), chips in the middle of the painting, that have had overpaint for correction, and there is some craquelure, (not deep), as shown. This could be corrected with a nice thicker layer of professional varnish; (this would also be recommended for long-term preservation, from sunlight). There are no other restorations; other than this, the painting is completely original. Frederick Judd Waugh original seascape oil painting alone measures approximately 19"X25". In original, antique, wood carved Arts and Crafts Era Newcomb Macklin frame; the painting measures approximately 28"X22". The painting is signed, lower center, along the very bottom edge; (emphasized inside of the black rectangular annotation box). It is estimated this painting was done around 1909-1910; (the painting is very old). Painting still retains the old nails holding the back of the canvas, to the original wooden stretcher frame.
The painting contains the wonderful, highly distinctive broken brushstrokes of the artist; surf flowing over Southern California Rocks, with some shadows reflected in evening shadows. His painting technique is amazing and masterful; almost bordering on realism with his sweeping lines, and confident, masterful approach. Appearing very real; this rare quality in impressionism elevates this painting far beyond the standard of a simple Plein Air. The colors are brilliant; the light effects are extraordinary. The location appears to be the rocks and surf, in Laguna Beach. Edgar Payne had a framing shop in Laguna Beach and spent his free time painting the California coast. He was profoundly moved by the quality of California light; in his paintings, striving for the perfection of the exquisite natural beauty of how the light fell on the mountains and water. This body of work, reflecting the artist's dedicated, and endless pursuit of perfection, in capturing this light effect in his paintings, would become the cornerstone of California Impressionism, and set a high standard for California Plein Air Painting, for decades to come. It is no wonder the artist is one of the most beloved, and gifted artists, in the history of California.
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