14th Annual Santa Fe Art Auction

Classic West makes a comeback

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. October 14, 2008

SANTA FE, NM, Ocotober 24, 2007. One of the largest art communities in the West, possesses many unique characteristics rendering it an ideal location for a community of artists: distinctive light, peaceful and idyllic landscape, dramatic skies, and breathtaking mountains. In conjunction with its reputation as an artistic community, Santa Fe draws many collectors of Western art, in search of fresh interpretations of classical and contemporary American art themes. This year's Santa Fe Art Auction, originally begun by Gerald Peters Gallery, takes place on November 10th at the Eldorado Hotel near the historic plaza and features two such artists: Albert Bierstadt, chosen for his landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, and Oscar Berninghaus, for his portrayals of the beauty of the Southwest.

"The western art market is very broad but we, the dealers and collectors, are aware that there is a diminishing supply of great works," says Peter Riess, Vice President and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction. "As a result when a decent painting comes up for sale it can do surprisingly well but when a great work becomes available the results can be record breaking. Today's buyers have so much money that we are seeing records broken ever for the lesser works."

Bierstadt's extraordinary technique represents the most striking aspect of his style. A product of the Hudson River School, the subjects of his paintings display a particular luminosity that charms the eye of the viewer, along with his painstaking attention to detail picked up from the German school. His expertise displays itself in both the broad aspects of the composition and the minute details of the presentation. For example, "Estes Park" demonstrates his careful balance of light and shade between the mountains and the valley, creating a masterful organization of the elements on the canvas. This dramatic use of light harmonizes with the delicate arrangement of trees and rocks to create a realistic, but distinctly romantic portrayal of the Rocky Mountains. In this manner, Bierstadt recreates for the modern world the drama of the landscape that awed the early trailblazers of the West.

This love of the beauty of the Western world characterizes Berninghaus' work as well. Originally a master draftsman commissioned by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, he became inspired by the magical atmosphere of Taos and decided to apply his talents to depicting the striking landscape. His subsequent friendship with the Indians of Taos created a deep sensitivity to the people of the Southwest as well, thus they became his new subject matter, as seen in "The Taos Shepherd." Choosing to describe the land and people of Taos, his picturesque scenes suggest a sincerity that excludes nostalgia, yet still accurately reflects the intention of the Railroad to attract Easterners to the unique beauty of the Southwest.

The Santa Fe Art Auction was begun in 1993 by Gerald Peters Gallery, which has long been recognized as one the world's most respected dealers of American art of nineteenth and twentieth centuries with special interests that include classic Western art, paintings of the Taos Society of Artists and the Santa Fe Art Colony, as well as American modernists, American and European Impressionists, and many other genres. This year's Santa Fe Art Auction at the Eldorado Hotel in downtown Santa Fe marks the 14th consecutive year that the event has taken place in the City Different.