Bass Fishing In Cattails
JOHN GANNAM
Bass Fishing In Cattails
Main Attributes:
Artist:John Gannam Title:Bass Fishing In Cattails Work:Drawing / Work on Paper Medium:Watercolor Substrate:Paper Date:c. 1945 Signed: Lower Right Size:9.00" x 12.00" Pricing:Price Upon Request Details:Original watercolor of fire trucks, at the scene of a structure fire in the city, by the "master watercolorist" - John Gannam - one of America’s most talented artists working "almost exclusively in watercolor" - during its rise to a high-art form in the middle of the 20th century. Gannam’s confident, yet precise brushstrokes belie the hand of the master. His work has an almost impressionist quality to it - one that would be masterful (and truly is) in any medium, but he fact that “they were done in watercolor” - a brutally unforgiving medium “with its attendant traps and difficulties” make them even more amazing. The quality of his work in watercolor has been compared to “Sargent” – no doubt for his tremendous proficiency in the medium.
He was widely admired and respected by his peers and was a top American illustrator for decades. Gannam was an associate of the National Academy of Design, a member of the American Artists' Professional League, the American Watercolor Society, the Society of Illustrators, and others.
This work was used as an Illustration for a presently unidentified publication - as suggested by the typical “order numbers” written on the verso of this work, and others by Gannam showing similar such markings. The piece is in pristine condition and comes from Gannam's personal collection, thereafter the work was passed down through his estate.
While I unfortunately never met the artist John Gannam, I knew his late son, John Gannam Jr., who over two decades ago, generously allowed me to acquire some brilliant examples of father’s work. I have been a fan ever since. Blake Benton
Provenance:
The Artist
The Artists Estate.
BENTON GALLERY, acquired from above; 2019