Low Tide, St. Ives Harbor
(1839-1913)
Why We Love It
The late 1880s were years of dramatic development in the art world and new ideas were toppling older, more academic theories. Landscape paintings by Edward Emerson Simmons from this period (1887) were much admired and exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. James Whistler was a strong influence on Simmons at this time and this painting’s flattened perspective and tonalist palette exemplify the artist’s expert grasp of that Whistlerian philosophy.
The Value
Edward Emerson Simmons was a member of the Ten and is much sought after. However, because he spent so much of his time as a muralist, good examples of his paintings are almost never available. This painting is signed on recto and signed and dated on verso. It is in a fine period frame.
