HENRY LEOPOLD RICHTER Czech-American, 1870-1960 Shepherd and Flock at Sunset, 1918 oil on canvas Painting that captures a sunset glowing in bands of red, orange, and yellow over a landscape, with a bare tree and dark hills silhouetted against the sky. In the foreground, a small herd of cattle stands in shadow on a sunlit dirt path. Signed "Henry L. Richter" and dated 1918, lower left. Framed. 19"h x 25"w, overall (with frame): 24"h x 30"w $500-700
ARTIST PROFILE: Henry Leopold Richter (1870–1960) was a Czech-American painter best known for his California and desert landscapes in oil and watercolor. Born in Plumenau, Moravia, in the Austrian Empire, on October 22, 1870, he immigrated with his family to the United States around 1887, settling in Chicago, where he took private instruction under E.A. Burbank and began exhibiting his work at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1904. In 1911 he was invited to teach art, German, and violin at the Colorado State Normal School in Gunnison, later taking a leave of absence to study in Europe under Professor Knirr in Munich. In 1919 the Richters moved to Long Beach, California, where he took on private pupils, painted, and taught art, later opening a studio in Laguna Beach. He exhibited at the California Water Color Society, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Laguna Beach Art Association annual shows, and was especially well known for his desert scene paintings. He passed away in Rolling Hills, California, in 1960, just short of ninety years of age.
