May 1970 Acrylic Painting from Norfolk, Virginia
The painting is from my grandmother and grandfather who lived at 1710 Morris Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia (Albert Bruce Cason Jr., and Elethia Mattie Walsh Cason). It was always over their couch the whole time they lived there, it is now mine and I'd like to know more about it. The painter's name is Francis L. VanB?????? that was a neighbor of theirs. I've tried finding out the name of the person who lived near them with this name, yet, it may have been somone who was in the navy, or worked at the Shipyard with my grandfather, or who knew that my uncle had passed in 1969 at 27 years old of cancer. The frame was built by Lopaze and it has a marking on it. Do you know the value? It measures 46.5 inches wide and 33 inches tall.
46.6 inches wide, 33 inches tall
Inherited
Yes
Hello!
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
I've searched the few subscription artist databases we have access to and have found no painter with the name Francis L. VanB----, which doesn't mean they didn't exist, only that they were either untrained without record of fine art training or left behind such an insignificant body of work that it does not survive in the archives. I'm also not seeing "Lopaze" in either of your photos or in an online search of vintage artist materials suppliers but it could have been a smaller local artist supply store that provided canvas, paints and stretchers (the wood frames canvases and other supports are stretched on).
This painting still has considerable merit even without an attribution. The color palette is attractive, the sparsely populated landscape has a quiet atmosphere that borders on tonalism. It's a landscape I'd very much like to be in to explore what was in the stone house, or where the river ran to...I presume since this was made by a Norfolk, VA artist that it's a coastal scene
As a dated (1970) American School coastal landscape, executed in oil on canvas, this would likely sell at auction for between $300 and $500 despite not knowing more about the identity of the author.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
American School, 1970
Landscape with a stone house and river
oil on canvas
indistinctly signed "Francis L. Van B...." and marked "Lopaze".
33 inches high by 46-1/2 inches long
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: inherited
$ 300-500*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
Hello - thanks for your note.
If you can add images of the LOPAZE mark/signature/label I would be happy to add that to this appraisal.
We don't list items for sale but you can list this on a local website like Facebook or Craigslist to see if you can find someone who is willing to pay that much for this.
Let me know if you have additional questions.
~~ Delia
Thank you very much. The frame was built by a person named Lopaze, I can send more photos. It may be that the person was in the Navy, Coast Guard, or Military or worked at the ShipYard due to the location of being in Norfolk, Virginia.
Do you know if anyone wants it for approximately $1000?