Lot 378: John Kelly Fitzpatrick (American/Alabama,

John Kelly Fitzpatrick (American/Alabama, 1888-1953), "Wash Women", oil on canvas, signed lower right, pencil-titled and bearing labels of "The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, South Carolina" and "Stonehenge Gallery, Montgomery, Alabama" en verso, 12 in. x 16 in., in an attractive giltwood frame. Note: The Southern artist John Kelly Fitzpatrick spent his entire life in his native Alabama, where he painted charming landscapes as well as scenes of African-American life. Fitzpatrick's formal art training included a semester at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1912 and a few months at the Académie Julian in Paris in 1926 He developed a style characterized by a vibrant palette and impressionistic brushwork. Fitzpatrick was preoccupied with light and shadow and enjoyed painting en plein air to best capture their effects. The work offered here, "Wash Women", is a lovely example of Fitzpatrick's style. The three African-American women standing on the sidewalk each wear a vivid dress representing one of the primary colors. White bales of laundry reflect the sunlight while each figure casts a long shadow.