louis e rea

To contact us about the early California artist, Louis Edward Rea

http://california-art.com/page.cfm?pageid=5021&artistid=538

A landscape painter, he was born in Flint, Michigan on February 6, 1868. Rea moved to northern California with his family in 1876 and settled in the small town of Lincoln in Placer County. He was educated at Methodist College in nearby Napa, where he was a resident from about 1890.

Artistically inclined at an early age, at 17 he won a cash prize at the state fair. Often accompanied by E. A. Burbank, he made painting forays into the area around his home. Rea was averse to having buildings in his landscapes and felt they detracted from his purpose. His sensitive, poetic interpretations of the hills of Marin and Sonoma Counties qualify him as one of California's finest painters. His subject matter and palette are similar to those of Thad Welch and Jack Wisby. Rea died of appendicitis in San Francisco on August 25, 1927.

Rea usuually signed his paintings "L E Rea" in small block letters, lower right or left, often with a copyright mark next to his signature. On the verso, he usually blocked out lines to write the title or scene of the artwork and a date. He was concerned about others imitating his work, hence the copyright mark. During the 1930's , artists were aften the victims of imitations as a reslult of the Great Depression. Rea was fairly prolific, producing hundreds of canvases.

One of his techniques was to shadow the foregroung and show the background hills of Marin and Sonoma Counties in bright sunlight, with atmospheric clouds to add drama. He painted in a light to moderate impasto, with small, detailed brushwork.

Exhibited:
Calif. State Fair, 1881-90, 1925-27 (awards); Mechanics' Inst. (SF), 1890; Calif. Artists, Palace of FA, 1921; Kanst Gallery (LA), 1927, 1937.

Sources:
OHS; DR; S F Chronicle, 8-28-1927 (obit).

Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940" available from the Crocker Art Museum store.

Purchasing Art or Historical Evaluation

Louis Edward Rea (1868-1927)