The Artist’s Masterpiece

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1881, Winfield Scott Clime trained at both the Corcoran Art School and the Art Students League in New York (1). While primarily identified with the Old Lyme Art Colony, Clime built the early stages of his career in Washington, DC where he, along with Charles Seaton (1865-1926), co-founded a group originally known as “The Ramblers” in 1916, though in 1919 they took on the more formal name, the Landscape Club of Washington (2). After a brief stop in Jersey City, New Jersey, Clime eventually came to Connecticut and it was while he was living in Old Lyme that Clime reached the peak of his career, evidenced by three consecutive showings at the National Academy of Design from 1931 to 1933 (3).

In Old Lyme, Clime was best known for his graphically strong compositions that reflected the New England lifestyle made popular during the previous century by printmakers such as Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888). Pleasant Valley presents an Old Lyme hillside divided vertically by bold trees and horizontally by a high-keyed waterway, likely the Eight Mile River. Small homes dot the landscape, hinting at the quaintness that is usually more prominent in Clime’s work. Here the architecture blends into the landscape and allows the painting to stand on its considerable merit. The light falling on the swale, the course of the river, the distant vista, and the cool shadow where the artist has placed the viewer, all combine to create Clime’s most ambitious and successful effort.

Provenance: From the trade to the gallery, to a private Connecticut collection, to the gallery.

Presentation Notes: In a 5” contemporary gilt frame with corner and side ornaments, gilt liner also with corner detail. Original stretcher attached to new stretcher. Expertly cleaned and lined.

Bibliography:
1. Jane Hayward and William Ashby McCloy, eds. The Art Colony at Old Lyme: 1900-1935 (New London: Connecticut College, 1966), 59.
2. www.askart.com.
3. Peter Falk, ed. The Annual Exhibition Record of the National Academy of Design: 1901-1950 (Madison: Sound View Press, 1990), 134.