Selden Connor Gile Selden Gile Original Vintage California Plein Air Society of Six Colorist Post War Modern "San Francisco" Landscape Cityscape Skyline American Art Oil Painting
Spectacular, original vintage color-drenched American oil painting by Selden Connor Gile, (1877-1947), a California Society of Six painter, titled "San Francisco." The painting is of a skyline cityscape of the city, with a wonderful use of color and light technique. The painting is in excellent original condition, with no overpaints or restoration. The painting's measurements are 24" X 30", without the plein air frame; and is signed "S. Gile" lower mid-left of the painting. This painting was exhibited in California decades prior, with the original exhibition numbers and identifiers on the reverse of the painting, along the wooden stretcher bars. The painting is rather large and can be picked up locally in the Los Angeles, California area after payment clearance.
Selden Connor Gile (20 March 1877 – 8 June 1947) was an American painter known for his vibrant use of color and his association with the Society of Six, a group of artists based in northern California during the early-1910s to mid-1930s. His work had a significant influence on the Bay Area figurative expressionists.
Though self-taught as a painter, Gile drew inspiration from the Fauves and early French Impressionists, particularly the paintings he saw at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915. This exposure sparked a dramatic change in his style, leading to his most successful period in the 1920s. He also drew inspiration from Post-Impressionists and the Blue Four artists during the mid-twenties.
During his early career, Gile primarily painted small canvases featuring California landscapes and coastlines. He employed thick paint and expressive brushstrokes of varying sizes, avoiding the inclusion of people in his works. Instead, he infused the contours of the land with a sensuality typically reserved for depicting human subjects unlike Impressionists who often revisited scenes or worked in studios, Gile and the Society of Six preferred painting outdoors, completing their works in a single sitting.
Selden Connor Gile was born on 20 March 1877 in Stow, Maine, as the youngest of six children. He displayed a love for nature, possessed an energetic spirit, and had a vivid imagination. After completing high school and graduating from Shaw's Business College in 1899, Gile ventured to California in either 1901 or 1903. Although he held various jobs unrelated to art, he dedicated considerable time to painting during weekends.
In 1915, Gile's artistic development took off, coinciding with the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. However, it wasn't until 1923 that Gile and the Society of Six began exhibiting their art more widely. The group's exhibitions were generally well-received, and Gile decided to pursue painting full-time in 1927 after quitting his office job and relocating to Tiburon in Marin County.
Gile had several solo exhibitions and participated in group shows throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. However, as the Great Depression took its toll and changes in the art scene occurred, Gile's art became less relevant, and the Society of Six gradually disbanded. He continued to paint and exhibit until 1937, with a shift from oil paintings to watercolors and an inclination to include more people, especially workers, in his works.
In his later years, Gile faced financial difficulties and undertook mural commissions to sustain himself. He took on a commission for the Belvedere public library and later painted a mural for a railroad office in San Francisco. Gile's circumstances worsened, and he found himself in declining health, isolated, and unable to paint. A few months before his death, he checked into the Marin County Hospital and Farm, where he spent the remainder of his life. On June 8, 1947, Gile passed away due to liver cirrhosis, leaving behind a collection of unsold paintings.
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