Stoner is a rare African-American
female Impressionist of the early 20th century. Per Askart.com, Stoner studied at the
Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College) and at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Daniel Garber, H. B. Snell, Hugh
Breckenridge, Arthur B. Carles and Fred Wagner, the clear inspiration and source
of her Impressionist style of painting. She
exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and apparently earned her
living as an art educator teacher and lecturer. She was a member of the Artists Guild of the
Tiffany Foundation and the Art Alliance of Philadelphia. Who Was
Who In American Art by Peter Falk indicates that Stoner’s last listing in
the American Art Annual was 1933. She
may have succumbed to an early death, c. 1934, hence, the rarity of her work.
The present lot manifests Stoner’s
high quality, classical Impressionist technique, which is not surprising, given
the style of most of her teachers and her obvious inherent artistic skills. Her work is exceedingly rare. Askart.com only
records one Stoner painting having been offered and sold at auction. This work sold for $550, within its
estimates, on October 9, 2006 by Cobb’s Auctioneers (lot 544) and was smaller
(13 in. x 16 in.) than this painting (15 in. x 19 in.) However, and most importantly, the Cobb's
catalogue entry apparently did not disclose that Stoner was a rare female
African-American Impressionist artist. These
considerations make this Stoner painting worth considerably more than the $550
sales price, which was within the exceptionally modest presale estimate of $400-$600
established by Cobb’s. Even Askart.com
in its biographical facts does not assert that Stoner is African American. Askart.com also does not observe that Stoner
was an Impressionist, which is rare for an African-American artist, and that
she may have died c. 1934, thus making Stoner’s paintings of the early 20th
century even more valuable. The above
presale estimate of $2,000-$2,500 is reasonable and justifiable, and, quite
frankly, very low, given all of the foregoing considerations. What’s more, Stoner's Impressionist view is aesthetically
pleasing and a very fine painting, in large part due to the artist’s vivid
coloring, classic, impressionistic brushstrokes, and beautiful composition. The composition depicts the ocean surf rolling
against the boulders in a mini-cove formed by the boulders in the foreground,
and is complemented by a delightful view of two sailboats in the distance skimming
along on the ocean surf. The scene is
perceived over the mini-cove formed by the boulders, on a lovely, bright sunny
day, perfect day for sailing.
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Title: Ocean Side Market |
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