In conjunction with the formidable Cristie’s American Art auction on May 20, Bonhams and Doyle offer fine art auctions with more variety in the price range. Geo and I had the pleasure of visiting both last Sunday.

Situated inside the aloof IBM building where Dahesh Museum used to be, the Bonhams New York branch looks more like a high-end store, an eye candy among numerous boutique and clothing shops along Madison Ave.

Without a doubt, the top lot —  “Tropical Moonlight” by Frederic Church is a museum-quality masterpiece, even though Geo pointed out the frame may be painted with gold paint. Instead of deploying a series of mini-dramas to entertain viewing of his larger canvases, Church infused the seemingly calm scene with gossamer light and exotic flora that one can almost smell the intoxicating fragrance but would never feel at ease under the eerie atmosphere. The estimated price is relatively low (between $1.2 million to 1.8 million). Would Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art be interested in this one?

A fresh-to-market painting by William Glackens was examined by an old couple when Geo and I were at the preview. Hanging paintings by Ashcan School is tricky since too much light would make them dull while too little light would not bring the dexterity and spontaneity of brush strokes. They asked the sales staff to move the painting up and down against the wall to observe the effect. Maybe it is time for Bonhams to invest in ceiling-mounted adjustable light controls like those in high-end galleries.

Two paintings by Lyme artist Wilson Irvine are my favorite although one needs restoration because of its heavy yellow varnish and rippling canvas. The painting of the seascape dashed with dazzling light also got Geo’s vote. But he cast his final favorite vote to a painting by Robert Reid. “Stream in the Woods” by Reid is a work of such delicacy that I do not think the picture does justice to its beauty. The softness and lack of contrast almost reduce the painting to a purely decorative pattern at a distance, but what is phenomenal about it is that there is a touchable languor that is inevitably permeated in those long afternoons in the countryside,  something that is lost in the hustle and bustle lifestyle of New York. Thus its beauty lies in the psychological order and works as an antidote of urbanity.

Although four statues by Frederic William Macmonnies were scattered around, Geo was more attracted by Paul Howard Manship’s “Morning and Night.” He later admitted that he didn’t like the statue “Prometheus” at Rockefeller Center.  But when cast at smaller scales, the deco statues can be seen in their full fluency and prowess. Since the original life-sized statues do not exist anymore, this lot is another once-a-lifetime opportunity.

With a sale of fine art on the same day as Bonhams, Doyal had more foot coverage.  Impressionism is the strength of this sale. Besides a painting by Pissaro, there are paintings by Edward Henry Potthast and Childe Hassam. (See Geo’s previous post about the symposium that preceded this sale. )

A painting by Charles Linford, a Scalp Level painter, caught my eye. Linford’s poetic yet somber forest scenes have not attracted the pubic attention as much as George Hetzel’s more grandeur and detail-oriented works, but I can feel the more inner response from autumnal scenes by Charles Linford at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. This painting, an interplay of a variety of greens and ochres, is an unpretentious beauty that would probably fetch more if it were in the Pittsburgh region. The modulated terrain and cloudy sky are typical of Western Pennsylvania, where I had lived for more than six years. Although I have not found any biographical information about Linford’s training, especially concerning Barbizon school, his enthusiasm for forest interiors and fondness for cloudy sky put him near those painters in Fountainbleau. Interestingly, the next lot,  “Little Road in Spring” by Lyme painter Charles Harold Davis, with a similar composition, shows clearly one generation later how high-keyed impressionism was deeply rooted in American artists. Although the cloud is not the center motif in this painting which is slightly unusual, Davis’ depiction of an uphill dirt road with a low perspective (thus slightly tilting the plane) makes sure the eyes eventually settle down on the optimistic bright sky. This painting would make a great companion with those two paintings by Wilson Irvine at Bonhams, but while Davis’ proficiency in optical light effect is convincing, I prefer a more poetic (than scientific) rendering of light by Irvine.

Doyle’s auction happens on May 19th (tomorrow) while Bohahm’s auction starts on May 20th.