Lot 68: Wilson Henry Irvine (1869-1936)

Selden's Cove
signed 'Irvine' (lower right)--signed 'Wilson Irvine' and inscribed with title (on the stretcher)
oil on canvas
32 1/4 x 40 in. (82 x 101.6 cm.)
Painted circa 1914-1918.

Wilson Henry Irvine was a member of the Impressionist colony at Old Lyme, Connecticut which also included Childe Hassam, Willard Leroy Metcalf and John Henry Twachtman. Irvine is best known for his mesmerizing images of Connecticut's rolling farmland, quiet wooded glens and gleaming salt marshes at different times of the and season.

Irvine first came to Old Lyme with his family in 1914 and moved permanently a few years later to the Hamburg section of Lyme. Irvine drew inspiration from his immediate surroundings and specialized in landscapes, particualrly in spring. Contemporary critics often remarked on Irvine's unique ability to translate onto canvas sublime atmospheric effects such as morning mist or afternoon haze. Selden's Cove depicts the small body of water of the same name right off the Connecticut River up from Old Lyme. Utilizing soft and various hues of greens and blues, Irvine in Selden's Cove captures the lingering moisture bathing a verdant landscape.