33: JOHN NOLF (1872-1950) REGIONALIST OIL ON ARTIST'S BOARD

John Thomas Nolf (1872-1950)
Spring Calf (Second quarter of the 20th Century.)
The composition of a young girl and calf in a sunlit Midwest barnyard is signed lower left front.

John Thomas Nolf, short-term resident of Joplin, Missouri and many other locales, lived a pretty colorful life before becoming an artist. Winnings from a poker game bought him a first class ticket to Chicago where he attended the Chicago Art Institute, launching his career as an artist, an illustrator and a teacher. He is most associated with the quaint Illinois village of Grand Detour, home of the Grand Detour Artist's Colony to which he described himself as mayor. Others, it has been reported, described him as 'Will Rodgers without the chewing gum and lariat.' Biographers also report that the people and places around Grand Detour often provided inspiration for Nolf's paintings. That may explain the strong similarities of the barnyard plot in this composition, and another in this auction,
Board measures 24 x 28 with a framed size of 28.75 x 32.5 inches.
Very good original untouched condition, noting a dime-sized area upper left quadrant just above the trees where a thin top layer of paint is lost, showing green foundation. Examination under UV light confirms the complete absence of inpainting or touch-up.
$1,000 - $1,500