oil on academy board, 12.25" x 9.25"
The painting in question came from a New York collection that was dispersed in the 1970s. Most of these pieces made their way to California and are now coming up on the market. Although this painting may not seem worthy of much attention I think it might be important to examine it at this time as other paintings from this group may be coming to light in the following months and years.
I believe that this study was painted by Guy Pene du Bois about the same time as he painted "On the Town". I believe they are both painted on identical and rather uncommon academy boards (of which I believe there may be a dozen or more... perhaps many more). The pigments seem to be the same and both are painted over earlier oil sketches with what looks to be an identical dark green hand mixed paint. The pentimento of "On the Town" reveals a seated woman when the painting is flipped upside down. The pentimento of the painting in question reveals what looks to be a cafe scene under the surface. My conservator, Tom Yost and I have discussed this and he has no doubt that both pieces were painted by the same hand. He has conserved dozens of paintings by Guy Pene du Bois and believes the small study in question is consistent with the artist's materials and technique.
I have researched the manufacturer of the academy board, F. W. Devoe, which was located on the corners of Fulton and William streets and created an academy board measuring 12.25 x 9.25 in. (31.0 x 23.5 cm). At first I had speculated that Devoe imported these boards but the size does not convert to a commercial metric size. I assume that Guy Pene du Bois purchased these academy boards in bulk from Devoe and then used them frugally for these early spontaneous evening studies. He may have used them as early as 1904 and perhaps brought some with him to France the following year.
Often the terms panel, board and academy board are used interchangeably. Of the paintings published in Guy Pene du Bois Painter of Modern Life by Betsy Fahlman, the following are most likely painted on identical Devoe academy boards of the same size as the painting in question: On the Town, ca. 1906-8, pg.74, an earlier oil sketch of a seated woman (upside down) is evident in the pentimento under the green overpaint, similar to the present work in question; Memories, ca. 1906-8, pg.75; Behind the Scenes, ca. 1915, pg.86, I believe this may be fully developed from an earlier sketch or that an earlier painting may exist under the surface; The White Chemise l, ca. 1905, pg.73; The White Chemise ll, ca. 1905, pg. 73; After the Music Lesson, ca. 1907 (fig. 16) note: the dimensions of this work are recorded as 12.25 x 9.50 in. but recorded as a 12 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. oil on board when it was offered at auction at Christie's in 2012. The Smithsonian describes the painting as an oil on academy board; Portrait of a Man, ca. 1904 (fig. 4).
In addition I found several others recorded in the Smithsonian Art Inventories that seem to correspond with the others previously stated. There possibly are many more painted on this Devoe board not yet published.
Someone had expressed to me an opinion that the painting could have been painted by anyone in the artist's circle, including George Luks. I entertained this possibility as any good detective would. I searched the auction records of over three dozen artists on the internet who were within Guy Pene du Bois' circle to see if I could find evidence of any of them using the unusual Devoe 12.25 x 9.25 in. academy board. I could not. If anyone else painted this oil study it would have to have been painted by someone who not only painted like Guy Pene du Bois but used the same materials in the same way at the same time.
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