For fans of historical art of the West, particularly that by Colorado painters, the annual (or at least quasi-annual) showcase of such work at David Cook Fine Art is a much-anticipated event.
This respected LoDo gallery is not as well recognized as it should be, in part because it typically displays pieces from its ever-changing stock and does not organize structured, publicized exhibitions.
The one notable exception each year is a show that it simply titles “Colorado and the West” — a dependably ambitious offering for which Cook and his associates save some of their best finds.
This summer’s offering, containing 82 paintings, drawings and original prints, holds true to form with a wonderfully eclectic assortment of selections, including a few knockouts and some unexpected treats.
Among the surprises, none stands out more than the delightfully odd “Elephant & Ears” (1945), by Boulder artist Eve Drewelowe, who is best known for her stylized, vaguely surrealist landscapes with their pulsating colors and curving forms.
She sticks to her boisterous style in this 16 1/4-by-19 1/8-inch oil on canvas, but instead of her usual subject matter, she depicts the curious pairing of a small gold statue of an elephant and two ears of corn at the base of a tree.
A few of the works are quintessential examples of the artists who created them. It would be hard, for instance, to find a stronger, more prototypical work by the Broadmoor Academy-trained artist Ethel Magafan than “Canyon Falls” (circa 1950).
This striking, 59 7/8-by-39 5/8-inch tempera on board, with its patches of color spanning the spectrum and its flattened perspective, epitomizes her semi-abstracted mountain scenes.
Similarly exemplary is “Untitled,” a 31-by-22 5/8-inch watercolor by Vance Kirkland. Kirkland’s official website dates the longtime Denver artist’s Timberline Abstraction series to 1950-57, but this first-rate 1947 piece is clearly part of it.
Using a tightly controlled palette of yellow and red on a black field, Kirkland overlaid abstracted images rock, leaf and other natural forms to create a boldly elegant and formally stylized work.
The single most important work in the exhibition is arguably Birger Sandzen’s “Evening, Western Landscape” (1910), a sublime early-evening scene with the moon hovering above a group of rocky outcroppings.
The Swedish-born artist traveled to Paris in 1894, where he studied with Edmond-Francois Aman-Jean, who was closely associated with Georges Seurat.
Given this association, it was not surprising that Sandzen created a series of early pieces in the pointillist style, including this masterwork, which is surely among the best ever created in this style in the United States.
While David Cook’s two lower-level galleries are devoted in large part to impressionist and modern pieces, the upstairs gallery is given over entirely to the work of Charles Partridge Adams, who moved to Denver in 1876 and took up painting shortly thereafter.
His romanticized scenes of the Rocky Mountains, which have become quite popular with area collectors, draw on a hybrid range of influences including impressionism and tonalism. This is believed to be the largest group of his works ever shown in a commercial venue.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Doel Reed, “Untitled (Storm Over New Mexico)” (circa 1945), oil on canvas. A storm in the background provides a dramatic backdrop for this sweeping Southwest scene by Reed, who was associated with the Taos Moderns.
Robert Reid, “Opal” (circa 1922), oil on board. This dreamy female nude, so typical of this well-known American impressionist, is still stunning despite some conservation work, which has taken away some of its value.
B.J.O. Nordfeldt, “Treeforms, Cañoncito” (1937), oil on canvas. Not exactly a major example by this painter, the small piece nonetheless grabs the eye with its intense, muscular brushwork.
Both serious collectors and casual fans of the traditional and modern art of this region should find plenty to enjoy in “Colorado and the West.”
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
