Along the Arroyo Seco.jpg

Class of Summer 1924

William Wendt           
b. Bentzen, Germany, 1865           
d. Laguna Beach, California, 1946
Along the Arroyo Seco, 1912
Oil on canvas
40 x 50 inches       

William Wendt’s studio home was a simple bungalow, symbolic of the “back to basics” lifestyle possible in California. The painting Along the Arroyo Seco is an exemplary Wendt painting, full of green, the color of hope and of spring. A sense of new beginnings and divine abundance is implicit in the artist’s work—making it a quintessential expression of California’s bounty. The high horizon created by the canyons lends both monumentality and intimacy to Wendt’s paintings. His landscapes express a state of sustained immersion in nature that produces a quiet emotion akin to awe, articulating his deeply held beliefs about God and nature. Wendt is considered the dean of California Impressionist painters.


GIFTED: Collecting the Art of California at Gardena High School, 1919-1956 is organized by the GHS Art Collection, Inc, in association with the Gardena High School Student Body and curated by Susan M. Anderson.