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Learn MoreThe Bass Season by John Atherton
- This highly detail fisherman's still life is the work of American artist John Atherton
- Entitled The Bass Season, it was featured on the June 29, 1946 Saturday Evening Post cover
- His detailed still lifes of nostalgic Americana made him a highly successful commercial artist
- Get complete item description here
$138,500
Item No.
30-8602
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Description
John Atherton
1900-1952 | American
The Bass Season
Signed "Atherton" (lower right)
Inscribed "The Bass Season opens in the east July 1st / out west earlier" (en verso)
Oil on canvas
The art of fishing is celebrated in this exceptional oil on canvas by the great American painter John Atherton. Atherton's cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post were each a resounding success with the American public, who were engrossed by his. . .
1900-1952 | American
The Bass Season
Signed "Atherton" (lower right)
Inscribed "The Bass Season opens in the east July 1st / out west earlier" (en verso)
Oil on canvas
The art of fishing is celebrated in this exceptional oil on canvas by the great American painter John Atherton. Atherton's cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post were each a resounding success with the American public, who were engrossed by his. . .
Read more
John Atherton
1900-1952 | American
The Bass Season
Signed "Atherton" (lower right)
Inscribed "The Bass Season opens in the east July 1st / out west earlier" (en verso)
Oil on canvas
The art of fishing is celebrated in this exceptional oil on canvas by the great American painter John Atherton. Atherton's cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post were each a resounding success with the American public, who were engrossed by his highly detailed still lifes of distinctly American pastimes. This fishing still life graced the June 29, 1946 edition of the Post, and it is a stunning celebration of the time-honored essence of the sport.
An avid fisherman himself, Atherton did not have to go far for inspiration. The various flies and lures in the scene are painstakingly rendered, and they very well may have been his own. He would later write an influential book on the subject of fly-fishing, entitled The Fly and the Fish, which was published in 1951 and is still read to this day. His appreciation for the sport is keenly felt in this carefully designed composition, from the dangling flies to the bucolic lake in the distance.
Atherton would later become known as a significant figure in the Magic Realism movement, an American take on the Surrealists. His initial success, however, came from his commercial illustration work for popular publications such as Fortune and the Saturday Evening Post. Throughout the 1940s, he was a frequent exhibitor at most of the major American art institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His first cover for the Post was created in 1942, and he continued to create covers with some regularity until 1961. Today, his works can be seen in the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Art Institute of Chicago, among many others.
Pained in 1946
Canvas: 28" high x 20 1/4" wide
Frame: 33 7/8" high x 27 1/2" wide
1900-1952 | American
The Bass Season
Signed "Atherton" (lower right)
Inscribed "The Bass Season opens in the east July 1st / out west earlier" (en verso)
Oil on canvas
The art of fishing is celebrated in this exceptional oil on canvas by the great American painter John Atherton. Atherton's cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post were each a resounding success with the American public, who were engrossed by his highly detailed still lifes of distinctly American pastimes. This fishing still life graced the June 29, 1946 edition of the Post, and it is a stunning celebration of the time-honored essence of the sport.
An avid fisherman himself, Atherton did not have to go far for inspiration. The various flies and lures in the scene are painstakingly rendered, and they very well may have been his own. He would later write an influential book on the subject of fly-fishing, entitled The Fly and the Fish, which was published in 1951 and is still read to this day. His appreciation for the sport is keenly felt in this carefully designed composition, from the dangling flies to the bucolic lake in the distance.
Atherton would later become known as a significant figure in the Magic Realism movement, an American take on the Surrealists. His initial success, however, came from his commercial illustration work for popular publications such as Fortune and the Saturday Evening Post. Throughout the 1940s, he was a frequent exhibitor at most of the major American art institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His first cover for the Post was created in 1942, and he continued to create covers with some regularity until 1961. Today, his works can be seen in the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Art Institute of Chicago, among many others.
Pained in 1946
Canvas: 28" high x 20 1/4" wide
Frame: 33 7/8" high x 27 1/2" wide
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Specifications
| Period: | 1919-Present |
| Origin: | America |
| Type: | Paintings |
| Canvas Width: | 20.250 in. (51.44 cm) |
| Canvas Height: | 28.000 in. (71.12 cm) |
Buy with Confidence
At M.S. Rau, we are committed to building a long-term, rewarding relationship with each and every client. That’s why your purchase is backed by our 125% guarantee.
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