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Artist or Maker: Frederick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928)
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Notes: The present work, a sweeping coastal landscape with horsemen passing through a mountain path, is most likely a depiction of an Algerian coastal town. A similar group of buildings in the upper left of the composition also appears in a canvas entitled The Return of 1892 and corresponds with a period when Bridgman and his wife were wintering in Algeria. Of all the lands of the Magreb that Bridgman visited, he was most captivated by Algeria and his numerous sojourns testify to his attraction to the people and his desire to explore not only the main cities but provincial villages.
The success of this particular composition is due to the artist's treatment of light and the force of movement. His palette captures the sun-drenched effect of the scorching sun on the riders below that hurry to seek the shade with their steeds. Bridgman saw much of North Africa and particularly the smaller village of Algeria on horseback. As a result, he was well-versed in the country's varied terrain - the high plateaus, arid deserts, mountain ranges thus his observations are born from his own personal experience. Over time, as he became more accomplished himself as a horseman, he improved upon his painted renderings of the animal.
The present lot has been authenticated by Dr. Ilene Susan Fort, the Gail and John Liebes Curator of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
