Featured Calif. Mission Oil Painting

I obtained this painting at an estate sale last year. Maybe I can find out more about it and maybe the name of the artist. The painting measures 7" X 17". As near as I can determine written in the right hand bottom corner is "Mission at San Luis Obispo" along with a symbol (similar to a logo) and "1772". Roughly scribbled on the backside: "7Y17-" or maybe it's "7XY7-" and "#2312" and "A-19". These backside marks are almost illegible and are my interpretations. The frame is nice and probably original. There is a little bit of flaking on the far left of the painting. The nearest artist that I have googled that might (maybe?) that used a similar symbol was: Alexander F. Harmer (1856-1925) who used a circle with a cross of 2 peace pipes within the circle?
Maybe?

 

Having a bit of a problem but---- Noted that pics needed help therefore more pics:

 

"san luis obispo" mission is the inscription. More specifically "Mission of San Luis Obispo 1772"

http://californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-san-luis-obispo/

Yep, that's what he said alright (duh. I didn't read.)

 

Ok, to make amends for my dufus mistake of not reading your post first, here's some new info that might help instead. I put 4 images of the missions side by side, yours upper right.

the bottom two are postcards. Each dated. The postcards often used earlier images, or images by hired photographers, so the date of the card publication is the "latest" the image could possibly be, but usually, b/c it's a postcard, the point is to show the place 'as is.' See the steeple, and state of disrepair in the postcards? Your painting appears without steeple, a la Deakins. but Deakins is missing the whole 'side wing.' So was the wing and steeple added after 1899? the Ornam postcard has the same wing as the 1914 card... but looks like some columns sprung up, with no roof (mid construction?). So that would mean the Orman is the oldest, the Eno card next, then yours, then Deakins. That's pretty old, ca 188os? Might help find an California artist with either KG or GK intials. Couldn't find one btw.

You get the idea.

 

Great research!

 

Nice painting.

The frame makes me think of 1900s-ish, though I don't have expertise in this so could be wrong.

 

That is not at all unlikely, imo, either. I was debating whether Deakins took some 'artistic license' to chop down the wing. Photos would be the clinchers, but post cards do in a pinch. That would basically put Deakins and subject painting at the same time. Frame looks original to stretchers.

And the Santa Barbara site that has the Deakins painting indicated he was one of the first painters to paint the missions... so, it presumably became a fad and everyone jumped on it. I think 1900 is a real good bet without further pictorial verification.

I like it too.

 

I'd think that photos and paintings of buildings reproduced in postcards aren't necessarily new? So the postcards could be showing the building's state at an earlier date?

 

That is the question: when were the photos taken. As a post card mfr, you'd want 'cheap' photos, i.e., no license fees. So it's possible they took ones either from the public domain, expired Copyright (long before) or paid somebody. My guess, they'd access the public domain photos, and that could be any time. Never know.

That's the challenge and fun, right?

 

Not sure re the public domain thing... I don't know what the laws were in earlier times?

 

According to this, the steeple and wood siding was added in the 1880s and removed in the 1930s. And don't know whose hand that is in magic marker but it's "Mission San Luis Obispo." No "of." No "at."

https://factcards.califa.org/mis/sanluisobispo.html

Debora

 

Supposedly it was the only "L" shaped mission in Ca. I'm wondering if Deakins negative got reversed and that's the other leg?? Thank you for putting them in order. Should help research it.

 

This forum is not unlike some weird candy: A burst of instant history released in every bite. And when you are done, it's empty calories and more often than not spoiled somebody's dinner.

 

The Deakins painting and mine have many similar traits; the roof line; the cross;the dormer; the porch or portico (?); the end wall of rock; the sidewalk. I'm like you in that I think that Deakins took liberty and cut it short. The rock wall in front shows in three of the photos so I think my artist may have taken a few liberties also.

 

I know what you mean... sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... or at least less than satisfying...

 

It may help to keep in mind that artists sometimes work off of a photograph, their own earlier sketches, or their memory. So the image they create may not match the current visual state of the item or person depicted.

 

Absolutely. It could very possibly be from an old print.

Debora