This early 20th-century landscape painting by American artist Clarence Kaiser Hinkle (1880-1960) depicts a tree-lined canal in muted tones. It’s cleverly ambivalent - playful brushwork combined with a subdued atmosphere. The trees and sail seem interconnected, their striking vertical forms piercing the centre of the composition. Hinkle pulls the elements together and creates a lyrical flow throughout the earth, sky and waterway.

In May 1906, Hinkle received a travel scholarship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and headed for Amsterdam, ultimately arriving in the small village of Laren. American artists were drawn to this picturesque area for its serene charm and simplicity. Most of its inhabitants lived in quaint farmers’ cottages. He stayed for a while, painting mostly small landscapes, partly inspired by the Hague School of painters but also the post-impressionists.

Here, Hinkle has captured a view in a way only he could. The excitement of a young American painter, immersed in European art - inspired by new environments and the emerging avant-garde.

Signed in the lower left and framed.

Learn more about Clarence Kaiser Hinkle in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 14½” x 12½” / 38cm x 32cm
Year of creation: c. 1908
Condition: Overall very presentable. Frame with some age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £37,050 achieved for an oil painting in 2005.