Lot 16: Robert Frederick Blum (1857-1903) Japanese Girl with Fan 14 x 4in, image; 14 1/4 x 7 1/2in, sheet

Robert Frederick Blum (1857-1903)
Japanese Girl with Fan signed with artist's device 'Blum' (lower right)pastel on paper14 x 4in, image; 14 1/4 x 7 1/2in, sheet
Provenance: Thomas Colville Fine Art, New York.Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, acquired from the above, 1978. Acquired by the present owners from the above, 1979.Robert Frederick Blum's interest in Japanese art likely began when he visited the Japanese Pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. In 1890, he became one of the first American artists to visit Japan. He spent two years in the country and during this period executed a group of elegant portraits of Japanese women. Japanese Girl with Fan exhibits the Impressionist and Tonalist influences of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), whom Blum had met through his teacher, Frank Duveneck (1848-1919). Whistler, who was also captivated with Japanese culture, introduced Blum to the pastel medium. Blum would later become president of the Society of Painters of Pastel and some of the most highly regarded works from his oeuvre are in this medium.