Untitled Painting of Massive Cottonwood and Adobe Homestead by Carl Von Hassler [SOLD]

Carl Von Hassler was considered Albuquerque’s most famous artist and apparently quite an eccentric.  When not producing oil paintings of adobe homes snuggled under massive cottonwood trees, he would hang out at the Franciscan Hotel bar in downtown Albuquerque visiting and chatting with others while imbibing.  He strolled around town wearing a long cape, a beret and sporting a walking cane.  His charm and eccentricities aside, he was an outstanding artist whose works have stood the test of time.  He was most productive between 1930 and 1965.

Von Hassler had moved to Albuquerque from New York in the early 1920s. He became known as the “Dean of the Albuquerque Art Colony.” Born in Bremen, Germany, he attended the Dusseldorf Art Academy. When he came to the United States, he lived for a while in Greenwich Village in New York and was a member of the famed painters who called themselves the “Greenwich Ash Can Group.”

In his early years in Albuquerque, Von Hassler's studio was in the original Casa de Armijo (now La Placita Restaurant) in Old Town. He was best known for his traditional realistic landscapes of New Mexico and his Indian portraits.  He also painted murals, the most famous being those he painted in the Kimo Theater in downtown Albuquerque, a theater known for its Pueblo Deco design.  He also painted all four walls of the basement of the Hebenstreet home in the country club area of Albuquerque, now the Sheila Garcia residence.

This painting is typical of Von Hassler’s style.  It depicts an area in one of the small Northern New Mexico villages, mostly those on the High Road to Taos, favored by von Hassler because they had changed little from their appearance a hundred years earlier.  The adobe home is shown in the left of the painting, another family member residence in background, and a red tin roof barn on the right of the painting.  A massive cottonwood tree with yellowing leaves commands the center of the painting and smaller ones are in the background, together almost obliterating the purple mountains behind.  Water flows in the Acequia in the foreground.

Carl Von Hassler was the master painter of such lovely landscapes.  One can almost feel the silence in the homestead, a scene devoid of automobiles, animals or humans.  The flow of the water and rustle of the leaves in the wind provide the only sounds. 

Von Hassler shared his knowledge of painting with others through teaching.  One of his students, who also became very famous, was Betty Sabo of Albuquerque.  She carried on his legacy. Other students were Sam Smith, Ben Turner, Walter Bambrook, and Novella King, all of Albuquerque.

This painting has just been re-framed with a new linen mat and a rustic wood frame.  It is ready to hang and enjoy.  It is signed in lower left.

Condition: this Untitled Painting of Massive Cottonwood and Adobe Homestead by Carl Von Hassler is in very good condition

Image Source of Carl Von Hassler: courtesy of Esther E. Berrenberg Estate (do not copy).

Relative Links: Carl Von Hassler, Painting