After a close examination of the color scheme and compositional elements, noting the inclusion of African American figures, and a close comparison with signed Bannister oils, I am confident that this painting is by Bannister. The composition is typical for the artist (see below) in its depiction of massed, rounded trees on one side and marshy open terrain on the other, with a body of water. The brushwork is also characteristic, particularly the depiction of changeable weather and scudding clouds laid in with a complex mixture of colors. Bannister’s skill in painting the surface of the pond and its reflections, particularly that of the boy, is obvious. This charming pastoral scene of two African American children playing at the edge of a pond, with cows in the background, is situated in Bannister’s home terrain of flat, marshy Rhode Island. The influence of earlier Barbizon School artists like Corot and Rousseau, promoted by famous Boston artist-teacher William Morris Hunt and by Seth Vose of Vose Galleries, both closely associated with Providence, is evident in the moody, swirling clouds, beautifully laid in with colors ranging from pale blue to lavender, gray and white and the massed trees and brown/green tonalities. Bannister seldom included figures in his paintings; when he did, the figures were usually diminutive as his skill in rendering anatomy was limited. Although Bannister and his wife were active in the Abolitionist movement, he rarely depicted African Americans; when he did depict figures, they are almost always Caucasian. Therefore, this rendition of two African American children is unusual and makes the painting particularly desirable. Most of Bannister’s known oeuvre is held in public collections in Rhode Island or at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; not many works have come through auction in the past 20 years. Bannister’s value has increased markedly in the past few years, with museums scrambling to make up their woeful lack of art by African American artists.
Dr. Christine Isabelle Oaklander, a specialist in American art history with 40 years of combined academic and practical experience curated this work for AAAWT. She has sold, researched, and curated works by African American artists and had the privilege of a friendship with the artist, educator, and pre-eminent expert on the history of African American art, David C. Driskell. In 2021 she lectured on Bannister, Duncanson, and Porter at the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Item Date: 1880s - 1890s
Measurement: 12" x 18"
Material: Oil on canvas
Item Condition: The canvas is in virtually untouched condition except that a trivial [tiny] tear was expertly restored, and light cleaning was performed in 2021. The painting is mounted on its original stretcher which retains original keys…no relining, and possibly the original frame.
Price: $18,500
SKU 1292-9
For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.
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