Sailboats, Upper Bay, New York by Theodore Earl Butler

Theodore Earl Butler
1861-1936 | American

Sailboats, Upper Bay, New York

Signed and dated "T.E. Butler 1917" (lower left)
Oil on canvas

Theodore Earl Butler was a leading figure of the American Impressionist movement, and this oil on canvas is a highly important example within his oeuvre. The work represents the artist's lifelong experimentation with atmosphere and color, revealing Butler's impressionist technique greatly influenced by his father-in-law Claude Monet. Entitled Sailboats, Upper Bay, New York, this rousing oil painting recalls Monet's famed hazy views of his hometown port in Impression, Sunrise. Almost certainly painted en plein air, the work embodies the informality and spontaneity of the Impressionist approach, which sought to capture the fleeting atmosphere of a moment in a single composition.

At the time of this painting’s creation, Theodore Earl Butler had recently returned to New York to complete a commission for William Paine after years of artistic success in France, where he was celebrated for his tranquil garden and countryside scenes. This return marked a pivotal shift in his focus, moving from idyllic rural subjects to the vibrant urban landscapes of his homeland. This transition mirrored a broader trend among young American artists, who turned their attention from the sublime to the awe-inspiring energy of industrial and urban transformation. In this atmospheric depiction of sailboats in New York's Upper Bay, Butler masterfully captures the interplay between the bustling harbor and the rapidly evolving city skyline. The juxtaposition of ships with the encroaching urban backdrop highlights the shifting balance between land and sea, tradition and progress. Butler’s nuanced portrayal embraces the sublime in this dynamic, modern landscape, celebrating the vitality of a city in flux. Rendered in a luminous palette of pinks, blues and purples, the painting reflects the influence of the French Impressionists while showcasing Butler’s unique artistic voice.

Born in Ohio in 1861, Theodore Earl Butler spent most of his life and career living abroad in France. He studied briefly under William Merritt Chase at the Art Student's League in New York before traveling to Paris in the 1880s. Once there, he entered the famed Académie Colarossi and Académie Julian and won his first honorable mention at the Paris Salon in 1888.

That same year, Butler traveled to Giverny, where he became an intimate friend of Claude Monet. He became so close to the family that he eventually married the famed French Impressionist’s stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé. After her passing, he married her sister and Monet’s second stepdaughter, Marthe Hoschedé. Though relatively unknown early in his career, by the turn of the century, Butler was among the most celebrated American artists working in France. He had several one-man shows in New York City, including a 1900 exhibition at the famed Paul Durand-Ruel Gallery. In 1913, he contributed two works to the Armory Show in New York and became a founding member of the Society of Independent Artists in 1916. Today, the artist's works can be found in important collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musée des Impressionnismes in Giverny, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Birmingham Museum of Art.

This painting will be included in Patrick Bertrand's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the work of Theodore Earl Butler.

Dated 1917

Canvas: 31 1/8" high x 39 1/2" wide (79.06 x 100.33 cm)
Frame: 38 3/4" high x 47 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" deep (98.43 x 120.02 x 6.99 cm)

Provenance:
The Private Collection of the Artist
Jimmy Butler, the artist's son, by descent from the above
Spanierman Gallery, New York
Maxwell Galleries, Ltd., San Francisco
Private collection, Los Angeles
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Exhibited:
San Francisco, California, Maxwell Galleries, Ltd., Theodore Earl Butler (1860-1936): American Impressionist, June 16-July 15, 1972, p. 14, no. 728, illustrated.