"Cascades (Quiet Solitude)" Lot no. 4872
By Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)
1959
23" x 18.5"
Oil on panel
Signed ‘lower right’ and signed, titled and date on the reverse
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In 1930, Maxfield Parrish turned his attention to painting landscapes exclusively. Cascades is a fine example of the style that defined his late career. The composition features a fantastical rocky glen flanked by two massive trees with shimmering water in the foreground. It was published in 1962 by Brown and Bigelow, a calendar company based in Minnesota, under the title Quiet Solitude. Parrish had entered into his partnership with the company in 1936, following his final calendar project for General Electric, under the condition that he would be free to paint landscapes.
The meticulously rendered scene demonstrates Parrish’s extraordinary gifts as a colorist. His signature technique of layering thin colored glazes over a white ground gives the surface its characteristic luminosity, creating the impression that light is shining through the pigment. Parrish captures the delicate balance of light and shadows through a rich palette of deep forest green and cobalt blue, punctuated by areas of orange and aquamarine, and anchored by the warm browns of the tree trunks and rocky crags. The result is a scene of quiet radiance.
This command of color owed much to two formative trips: first to Arizona in 1901, where the dramatic light of the Southwest made a lasting impression, and then to Italy in 1903, where he carefully studied the subtler, earthier tones of the Mediterranean landscape. Parrish believed that a great landscape painting should transport its viewer completely: “those qualities which delight us in nature—the sense of freedom, pure air and light, the magic of distance, and the saturated beauty of color, must be convincingly stated and take the beholder to the very spot.” (Coy Ludwig, Maxfield Parrish, New York, 1973, p. 175.)
Cascades also reflects Parrish’s deliberate move toward a smaller format in his later years. Having worked predominantly at 30 x 24 inches in the early 1930s, he settled into the 22 1/2 by 18 inch format, a scale that suited the jewel-like precision of his mature landscapes, lending their intricately detailed subjects more intimacy.
EXHIBITED
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Brandywine River Museum, Maxfield Parrish:Master of Make-Believe, 1974,no. 61, p. 33 (titled Quiet Solitude)
LITERATURE
Coy Ludwig, Maxfield Parrish, New York, 1973, no. 847, p. 185, illustrated and p. 214 (titled Quiet Solitude and dated 1962)
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
To behold the work of American illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966) is to enter into a fantasy world of ethereal beauty. Whether a book illustration, magazine cover, painting or mural commission, his flawlessly rendered subjects and fairy-tale settings are infused with a sense of mythical beauty unmatched by any artist in his wake
A Unique Approach
The magic and sublime spirit of Parrish’s work is the result of his unique approach to painting. He began with a white base which served to illuminate the image from the first layer up through to the last. Repeated layering of varnish on the surface of the pigment heightened the vibrancy of his colors, yielding shades like the famous "Parrish blue," a rich cobalt that is now indelibly associated with the artist. This singular technique allowed Parrish to convey textures and patterns with the intense detail and saturation of color that became trademarks of his best works.
This May, a museum-quality collection of 11 works by Maxfield Parrish pay tribute to the superior talent and unique vision of this seminal artist. A leading highlight of the collection is Sing a Song of Six Pence, measuring over 13 feet long and painted as a mural for the hotel bar of the Sherman House in Chicago, Illinois. Parrish began his career painting a mural of Old King Cole for the University of Pennsylvania in 1894, and was immediately recognized for his ability to render exquisite detail on a monumental scale. He often projected photographic images and then painted directly on the surface of his murals, which may account for the veracity of the features displayed in this work.