Lot 242: Edward Emerson Simmons (American, 1852-1931),

Edward Emerson Simmons (American, 1852-1931), "Hattiesburg, Mississippi", oil on canvas board, signed, titled and dated "1920" lower right and en verso, 12 in. x 16 in., in an Arts and Crafts gilt frame.

Note: Edward Emerson Simmons was a well-known mural and easel painter in his time, and was a member of "The Ten" American painters. This group, which formed in 1898 when its original ten members exhibited together, was created to oppose the conservative policies of the National Academy of Design. In addition, all of its member were interested in "modernity" or "Impressionism." Although he exhibited many landscape paintings, by 1893 Simmons was known as one of the nation's foremost muralists, with works such as his "Justice of the Law" of 1899 in the Appellate Division Court House in New York and his "Battle of the Concord and The Return of the Battle Flags" commissioned in 1900 for the Boston Statehouse. However, after a visit to Paris and his return to New York in 1906, Simmons turned prima ily to landscape painting, traveling to various locations around the United States and Puerto Rico. It was during this time that he painted this charming Hattiesburg, Mississippi bathing scene. As is typical in Impressionist works, Simmons' landscape is filled with light and the brushwork is thick and patchy, giving us an "impression" of the beautiful Mississippi landscape.