Hobson Pittman (American, 1899-1972), Southern Garden

Oil on Masonite, signed at lower left, inscribed "The Garden" and "C.362" to the verso, retaining gallery and auction labels affixed to the verso, presented in a very fine period frame.

Board 15 3/4 x 27 3/4 in.; Frame dimensions 22 1/4 x 34 3/8 in.

Private Collection, Raleigh, North Carolina

From the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Meyer P. Potamkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, March 24, 2006, Lot 37
Leland Little Auctions, September 22, 2018, Lot 197
Acquired from the above

Born in rural Edgecombe County, NC, Pittman moved to Pennsylvania in 1918. After several one-man shows in Philadelphia, he was represented in the 1933 exhibition "Painting and Sculpture from 16 American Cities" held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY. A celebrated regionalist, Pittman exhibited extensively throughout his lifetime and beyond.

Pittman was particularly known for his depictions of quiet rooms, writing “rooms are wonder for me—I like rooms and doors and windows—Mystery shrouds them all—mystery not revealed or explained...” John Canaday, Art Editor of The New York Times, reveled in Pittman's interiors as being both "nostalgic and visionary," seemingly at once "still peopled by the remembered presences of romantic personages."

Good estate condition; no evidence of restoration visible under UV light.