Sold $55,000
Birger Sandzen oil on canvas 1920
Birger Sandzen (1871-1954)
Mountains and Red Rocks 1920
The large oil on canvas Rocky Mountain view at tree line is signed lower right front and painted in a unique palette of clean, attractive colors applied in the near-sculptural technique typical of Birger Sandzen’s earlier works, though it dates to what scholars refer to as his Middle Period.
The following is from the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery web site: Middle Years (1910-1929): ”This period is often considered the most dynamic and important of Sandzen’s career. Kansas and Colorado landscapes came to the forefront during this time and his importance and recognition as a painter increased. In a letter from March 20, 1912 Sandzen wrote to his brother Gustaf: ‘My paintings have, to tell the truth, aroused a great deal of attention. They are not, however, if one reads the reviews ‘sensational’ – even if the color usage is a little individual. They are simply nature studies. I adhere strictly to nature, but strive for the simplest possible means of expression.” – Birger Sandzen to Gustaf Sandzen, 20 Mar 1912, Sandzen Archives, Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, KS.
