Monet deemed Horton the “greatest painter of snow who ever lived,” and the ski villages and peaks of Gstaad, Switzerland, were among his favorite subjects. Of these works Monet said: “…it is difficult enough to find one attractive subject and draw it well…it is a waste to draw innumerable subjects.” This explains Horton’s concentration on certain challenging studies, his views of Gstaad in all light, all seasons. He explored the landscape in both sun and moonlight, blanketed by sparkling snow or brimming with luscious greenery. His brushwork developed a pointillism reminiscent of Pissarro, but Horton’s dazzling color was always uniquely his own...

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Provenance:

Estate of the artist, through his son, and with Vose Galleries, Boston, Massachusetts, inventory no. P-322, ca. 1967

Eventually to Steven Straw, Newburyport, Massachusetts, and then to a private collection, Nashua, New Hampshire

By descent to private collection, Bedford, New Hampshire, to present

Inscription:

1. (top stretcher in marker) VILLAGE IN TH(sic) VALLEY / SNOW 1922 GSTAAD / P-322

2. (on old backing in pen and marker) P-322 / “VILLAGE IN THE VALLEY – SNOW / GSTAAD CIRCA 1922 / HORTON SILVER SEAL / SIGNED L.R. / FROM THE COLLECTION OF / THE ARTIST’S SON W. GRAY HORTON

Labels:

Steven Straw & Company, Newburyport, Massachusetts / #794 Consign.. / “Village in the Valley, Gstaad, 1922” / Signed Lower Right / Oil On Canvas / 25 x 30 inches

Exhibitions:

William S. Horton 1865-1936: American Impressionist, Vose Galleries, Boston, circa late 1960s