Oil on Canvas
24" x 29"
Signed E.I. Couse N.A., lower left
Virginia Couse Leavitt has authenticated this work and it will be included in the upcoming Catalog Raisonne on Couse. Here are her comments about this painting:
"Couse was justly famous for his firelight and moonlight pictures painted in New Mexico. These were a natural progression from his early interest in tonalist painting during his student days in France. The characteristics of tonalism are a limited palette based on a single color and a mood of quietism. This was a popular alternative to Impressionism in the late 19th century.
Throughout his career the subtle qualities of light fascinated Couse. In his earliest work this was expressed in numerous paintings set at twilight in which a pastel haze permeated the atmosphere and a moon was often visible in the evening sky. These reflected the delicate pastel palette of his French period, influenced by Whistler and other tonalist painters of the late 19th century.
When he came to New Mexico in 1902, Couse, like other painters, was influenced by the brilliant light and color he found in the area. His tonal paintings reflected this in the strong color of the firelight and moonlight pictures that became a favorite theme. The mood of quietism and introspection, typical of tonalist paintings, is a significant element of these pictures in which Couse captured his Indian models in moments of reverie and contemplation.
The Evening Camp, painted in 1924, is a fine example of his firelights. In this picture, his model Ben Lujan is seen bathed in the light of the campfire where he quietly warms his hands. The sense of reverence imbued in the picture creates a ceremonial mood."
Provenance: Acquired through the Denver Art Museum in 1925 by Mrs. Richard C. Campbell, Denver, Colorado. Acquired through the acquisition of the Campbell home and contents in 1936 by Elmer Hartner. Passed through family descent to Scott and Virginia Simpson, Paradise Valley, Arizona.
Exhibitions: Taos Society of Artists circuit exhibition which began in Fort Worth Texas, November 1924 and included the Denver Art Museum.