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Torrey Pines

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Torrey Pines

Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin (AKA Nikolai Fechin), American (born Russia), (November 28, 1881–October 5, 1955)

Creation date: ca. 1925

Creation place: United States

Other Information

Type: Oil Painting

Medium and Support: Oil on canvas

Credit Line: Gift of Wilda B. Dunnicliffe, by exchange

Accession Number: 1998.87

State/Province: California

Dimensions: 30 in. x 36 in. (76.2 cm x 91.44 cm)

Provenance

Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico ( - 1998)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (1998 - )

Label Copy

AF
Of Sea And Sand
April 2021

Nicolai Fechin was already an established artist in Russia, having trained at the Imperial Academy of Art in St Petersburg before arriving in the United States in 1923. Torrey Pines was likely painted in 1925 on a visit to Southern California, before he moved permanently here from Taos in 1933. Rather than depict the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Fechin focuses on the chaparral and light-struck sandstone cliffs, rendering them with rigorous and heavy strokes.
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Nicolai Fechin was already an established artist in his birth country of Russia before he arrived in the United States in 1923. His painting Torrey Pines, which depicts the Torrey Pines State Reserve located along the Pacific coast between La Jolla and Del Mar, California, reflects his interest in the local topography. Torrey Pines offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, but Fechin focused on the chaparral and sunstruck sandstone cliffs on a beautiful blue-sky day. Although Fechin’s technique is reminiscent of that of the California landscape painters who incorporated the loose brushstrokes of the Impressionists into their work, he pushes the boundaries of California plein air painting with his rigorous and strong application of paint. Fechin created multiple views of Torrey Pines and other areas around San Diego, such as Point Loma.

"San Diego Plein Air Painting" August 13 2013, Gallery 6
Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin
American (born Russia) • 1881–1955
Torrey Pines
Oil on canvas • c. 1925
Fechin is perhaps more often associated with Taos, New Mexico than with California, but in fact he lived far longer in the Los Angeles area than anywhere other than his native Russia. Trained at the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg, Fechin came to New York in 1923 as an established painter of some renown. Moving to Taos in 1927 because of tuberculosis, he soon earned high regard for his striking portraits of Native American and Mexican-American children. In 1933 Fechin relocated to Southern California, which he had visited in 1925 when it is believed he painted Torrey Pines. This landscape reflects the spontaneous style, loose brushwork and thick application of paint that characterize the artist’s work.
Gift of Wilda B. Dunnicliffe, by exchange 1998.87

Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin
Estadounidense (nacido en Rusia) • 1881–1955
Torrey Pines
Óleo sobre lienzo • c. 1925
Quizá se vincule más frecuentemente a Fechin con Taos, Nuevo México, que con California; sin embargo, vivió mucho más tiempo en la región de Los Ángeles que en cualquier otra parte, excepto por su Rusia natal. Estudió en la Academia Imperial de San Petersburgo y llegó a Nueva York en 1923, ya como un pintor de cierto prestigio. Se mudó a Taos in 1927 debido a que padecía tuberculosis; ahí, pronto ocupó un lugar de privilegio por sus retratos sorprendentes de niños amerindios y mexicano-estadounidenses. En 1933, Fechin se estableció en el sur de California, región que había visitado en 1925, cuando al parecer, pintó Torrey Pines. Este paisaje refleja el estilo espontáneo, la pincelada libre y la aplicación densa de pintura característica de la obra de este artista.
Obsequio de Wilda B. Dunnicliffe, por intercambio 1998.87

Last Updated: 4/13/2021

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Picturing Paradise: San Diego in the Eye of the Artist, 1875-1940 San Diego Museum of Art , 10/30/1999 - 1/9/2000

On Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art , 6/1/2002 - 9/1/2002

Masterpieces of San Diego Painting: Fifty Works from Fifty Years, 1900–1950 Oceanside Museum of Art , 3/2/2008 - 6/29/2008

Fifty Works from Fifty Years: Masterpieces of San Diego Art, 1900-1950 , 3/2/2008 - 6/29/2008

Art of the United States from the San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art , 11/6/2010 - 2/9/2011

San Diego Plein Air Painting The San Diego Museum of Art , 8/13/2014 - 00/00/00

Picturing the Southwest San Diego Museum of Art , 2/25/2017 - 8/20/2017

Of Sea and Sand: Highlights of California Paintings , 6/26/2021 - 00/00/00

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 100, Figure Number: 49

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 108, no. 49

Ms. Sara E. Bush. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 48-49

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. American Art Review American Arts Media, Inc.. Leawood, Kansas, December 1999
Page Number: 168, 169, Figure Number: 168

Mr. Victor A. Walsh. TPA Journal, Torrey Pines Association. La Jolla, California, Summer 2007
Page Number: 6, Figure Number: 6

Dr. Galina Tuluzakova, Ph.D.. Nikolai Fechin (1881–1955) 2007
Page Number: 124, 476 no. 124, Figure Number: 124

Mr. Bram Dijkstra (Sandra). Masterpieces of San Diego: Oceanside Museum of Art. Oceanside, California, 2008
Page Number: 70, 71, Figure Number: 71

Mr. Bram Dijkstra (Sandra). Masterpieces of San Diego: Oceanside Museum of Art. Oceanside, California, 2008
Page Number: 134

Mr. Bram Dijkstra (Sandra). American Art Review American Arts Media, Inc.. Leawood, Kansas, March 2008-April 2008
Page Number: 120, 121, Figure Number: 121

Maryruth Cox. The Story of Del Mar Terrace: an eclectic community Cowpark Press. 2013
Figure Number: Cover

Marks

Signature, Lower right:

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This object is a member of the following portfolios:

American Art

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