66: ALFRED MONTGOMERY (1857-1922) LARGE OIL ON BOARD

Alfred E A Montgomery (Kansas, 1857-1922)
(1920)
Signed and dated lower right. The still life composition depicting a bentwood 'bushel' basket of stave construction, common in the 19th century, depicts a bounty of corn with each kernel detailed in Montgomery's distinctive, thick and high relief impasto technique.

Montgomery was dubbed the James Whitcomb Riley of Art by a Topeka, Kansas minister for his folksy, plainspoken populist interpretation of everyday Americans in rural America - same as James W. Riley,

Alfred Montgomery was more commonly referred to and known as the 'farmer artist.' Self-taught and considered a folk artist, his work titled Down on the Farm was nonetheless exhibited in the Paris Exposition of 1900.

His unique technique for depicting a kernel of corn was so effective that the following was said of his paintings ...'they have at different times attracted the nibble of a horse and the peck of a hen...' and also ...'he has been accused of cutting off the ends of real grains and pasting them to the canvas.' (Topeka Capitol Journal December 7, 1899).
Board measures 20.75 x 33.25 with a framed size of 29 x 41.75 inches.
Very good untouched condition. There are no issues of scratches, losses, repairs, in-painting or touch-up to any degree.
$3,000 - $4,000