We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site.
By continuing to use our site you consent to the use of cookies. Please refer to our
privacy
and cookie policies for more information.
The Soil signed 'William Wendt' (lower right) and titled (on the stretcher bar) oil on canvas 30 x 36in
Footnotes
Provenance Stendahl Galleries, Los Angeles, California. A Southern California Museum. Private collection, Beverly Hills, California.
Exhibited Los Angeles, Stendahl Galleries, William Wendt And His Work, 1926, p. 38, ill. p. 38, number 16.
Literature Los Angeles, Los Angeles Evening Express, April 20, 1926. J.A. Walker, Documents on the Life and Art of William Wendt, 1865-1946: California's Painter Laureate of the Paysage moralisé, Big Pine, 1992, p. 186, no. 628. W. South, In Nature's Temple: The Life and Art of William Wendt, Irvine, 2008, p. 109, illustrated.
In his 1926 exhibition catalogue on the artist's work, Earl Stendahl writes colorfully of this painting "The Spring verdure on the sheer hill that focuses the eye of the beholder carries evanescent blue shadows. The smiling foreground valley shows the verdure as that which gives such keen loveliness to the hill. The soil along the banks of the winding stream is a dull gold in color, and the lower lands show maroon and lavender. The opulent peace of California breathes through the picture".
In the mid 1920's, Wendt painted a group of oils in and around the Nine Sisters, or the Morros. These are a chain of nine volcanic mountains and hills in western San Luis Obispo County. They run between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. The Soil depicts one of those volcanic formations. His most famous oil from this group of paintings is Where Nature's God Hath Wrought. In Will South's book In Nature's Temple: The Life and Art of William Wendt he remarks of this work that 'It is at once the mountain we struggle to climb, a symbol of life and work. It is again nature as God's formidable handiwork, looming above us and pointing, literally, heavenward.' South adds, 'It thus evokes time and endurance, God and man, and the earth itself that we would dare manipulate. This painting, in essence, was [for] William Wendt, the closest thing he would make to a self-portrait, a deliberate and very formal paean to everything in which he believed.' The same may be said of The Soil equally. It reveals what a significant impact these scenes had on the artist's life.
This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest customer services team.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories excluding Arms & Armour, Coins and Medals, Motor Cars, Motorcycles, Wine & Whisky
27.5% on the first $25,000 of the hammer price; 26% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $25,000 up to and including $1,000,000; 20% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $1,000,000 up to and including $6,000,000; and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of $6,000,000.
Payment Notices
Payment for purchases may be made in or by (a) cash, (b) cashier's check or money order, (c) personal check with approved credit drawn on a U.S. bank, (d) wire transfer or other immediate bank transfer, or (e) Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit, charge or debit card for returning clients only. Please note that the amount of cash notes and cash equivalents that can be accepted from a given purchaser may be limited.
Shipping Notices
If you have requested a shipping quote, we will send this to you via email within 5 business days of the auction ending.
Please note our shipping quotes are bespoke and require special care and handling from our team and shippers. Shipping will be booked after payment is received. Please allow 7-14 business days from the time of booking for packing and dispatch, depending on your chosen shipping method. If your purchase is time sensitive, or you wish to explore other options, please see our list of alternative third party shippers in New York and Los Angeles who may be able to assist you.
If you have any questions, please contact our Client Services team.