Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 15

William Ritschel
'Moonlight Sonata', Munich School, National Academy, California, Carmel, PPIE

Circa 1925

$6,500
£4,892.29
€5,723.68
CA$9,192.81
A$9,337.09
CHF 5,380.70
MX$112,731.53
NOK 62,501.88
SEK 63,023.36
DKK 42,786.37

About the Item

'Moonlight Sonata' by William Ritschel. Munich School, National Academy, California, Carmel, Panama-Pacific International Exposition ---- Partial signature, lower right, "..chel", for William (Wilhelm) Frederick Ritschel (German-American, 1864-1949) and painted circa 1925 (Graphite landscape sketch, verso). Accompanied by certificate of authenticity. Born in Germany, William Ritschel first attended the Latin and Industrial School in Nuremberg. In his youth, he worked as a sailor and it was during this period that he began to develop his talent for sketching marine subjects. Ritschel studied art at the Royal Academy in Munich under Karl Raupp and Ernst Kaulbach before moving to New York City in 1895. In 1911, he settled in Carmel, California while continuing to exhibit both on the East Coast and in Europe. His paintings of the ocean earned him international acclaim and, in 1914, he was elected to membership of the National Academy. In 1918, he began construction on his stone-built house and studio, 'Castellammare', situated in the Carmel Highlands overlooking the Pacific ocean. This castle-like structure would remain his home for the rest of his life. Here he would live and paint and, from here, he would venture forth to travel the world, particularly to his beloved South Seas. Over the course of a long career, William Ritschel exhibited widely and with success. He was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards including from the National Academy of Design, 1913 (prize), 1921 (prize), 1926; National Arts Club, 1914 (gold medal); Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915 (gold medal); California State Fair, 1916 (gold medal), 1926 (1st prize); Philadelphia Arts Club, 1918 (gold medal); California Watercolor Society, 1921-23; Salmagundi Club, 1923 (Isador prize), 1930; Art Institute of Chicago, 1923 (prize); Royal Academy, 1924; Paris Salon, 1926 (honorable mention); Stendahl Gallery (LA), 1929; Santa Cruz Art League, 1937 (prize); Biltmore Salon (LA), 1944; and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ritschel was also an active member of national and international art organizations including the New York Watercolor Club, American Watercolor Society, Carmel Art Association, Bohemian Club, Société Internationale des Beaux Arts et des Lettres (Paris), Kunstverein (Munich), Academy of Western Painters (LA), Allied Art Association, National Academy, and the National Arts Club. His work may be found in the permanent collections of museums nationwide including the National Arts Club; NMAA; Monterey Peninsula Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Oakland Museum, Fort Worth Museum, St. Louis Museum, Bowers Museum (CA), Detroit Art Club, Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Museum, Crocker Museum (CA), Irvine Museum (CA), Orange County Museum (CA). Reference: Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 3, page 2779; E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 11, page 730; Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gengenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 28, page 383; Artists in California 1786-1940, Third Edition, Edan Milton Hughes: Crocker Art Museum, Sheridan Books 2002, Vol. 2, page 938; Mallett’s Index of Artists, Daniel Trowbridge Mallett, Peter Smith: New York 1948 Edition, R.R. Bowker Company 1935, page 372; Mantle Fielding’s Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers, Glen B. Opitz, Apollo Press 1983, page 787; American Art Annual 1919-33; NY Times, 3-13-1949 (obituary); et al.
  • Creator:
    William Ritschel (1864 - 1949, German)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1925
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)Width: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Depth: 0.13 in (3.31 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    painting: minor restoration, age-related craquelure, pigment is stable with no evidence of delamination; shows well.
  • Gallery Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: WBK-f1stDibs: LU34416751992

More From This Seller

View All
'Rivière de Mon Paix', Pair of Fine French Impressionist Oils, Musée d'Orsay

'Rivière de Mon Paix', Pair of Fine French Impressionist Oils, Musée d'Orsay

By Raoul André Ulmann

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

'Rivière de Mon Paix' by Raoul André Ulmann. Pair of Fine French Impressionist Oils, Musée d'Orsay, Luxembourg Museum. Sold as a pair. --- Raoul André Ulmann (French, 1867-1941) E...

Category

1910s Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

'Rivière de Mon Paix', A Pair of French Impressionist Landscapes, Musée d'Orsay

'Rivière de Mon Paix', A Pair of French Impressionist Landscapes, Musée d'Orsay

By Raoul André Ulmann

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

'Rivière de Mon Paix' by Raoul André Ulmann. Pair of Fine French Impressionist Oils, Musée d'Orsay, Luxembourg Museum. Sold as a pair. --- Raoul André Ulmann (French, 1867-1941) Ea...

Category

1910s Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

You May Also Like

Pacific Grove Moonlight, Mid Century Nocturnal Coastal Landscape

Pacific Grove Moonlight, Mid Century Nocturnal Coastal Landscape

By Ferdinand Burgdorff

Located in Soquel, CA

Pacific Grove Moonlight, Mid Century Nocturnal Coastal Landscape "Pacific Grove Moonlight", a striking and unique mid-century nocturnal landscape of the moon rising over the ocean a...

Category

1930s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Moonlit River Scene", Early 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Luis Graner y Arrufi

"Moonlit River Scene", Early 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Luis Graner y Arrufi

By Luis Graner Y Arrufi

Located in Madrid, ES

LUIS GRANER Y ARRUFI Spanish, 1863 - 1929 MOONLIT RIVER SCENE signed and dated "L Graner 1925" (lower right) oil on canvas 20-1/8 x 30 inches (51 x 76 cm.) framed: 25-3/4 x 35-3/4 inches (65 x 90.5 cm.) PROVENANCE Private Collection, Barcelona, Spain Graner paints this work, Moonlit on the river, during his stay in the United States in the last stage of his artistic life, from 1910 to 1928, in full stage of maturity. This artwork reflects the constant search of the artist for the effects of light in his work. This persistent concern for light remains throughout his artistic life, which he learned in his Parisian stage under the influence of the painter Frances Platour. The silver light of the moon and the small lights at distance, which are tiny foci of artificial light, reflecting the river water, forming a chromatic range of greens, ocher and pearly that give a certain mystery to the composition, creating a modern approach to the landscape, by placing the two large trees at the edge of the river in the foreground Luís Graner y Arrufí, Spanish (1863–1929) was a Catalan painter in the Realistic style. He was born in Barcelona, and studied at the Escola de la Llotja from 1883, with Antoni Caba (color/composition) and Benet Mercadé (drawing). During his final year at school, he received a grant to study in Madrid, where he copied and learned from the Old Masters at the Museo del Prado. After that, supported by a fellowship, he moved to Paris and became a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts. Later, he returned to Barcelona, but continued to travel to cities throughout Europe, including Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf. Influenced by Richard Wagner's concept of "Gesamtkunstwerk" (Total Work of Art), he was motivated to create his own total art experience and organized the "Sala Mercè" (Mercy Hall) in Barcelona's Rambla District. The project involved contributors from every artistic discipline, including the new field of cinematography. The room was decorated by Antoni Gaudí. Other participants included Adrià Gual, Santiago Rusiñol, Ramon Casas...

Category

1920s Realist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Moonlight Coastal Landscape with Reflections, 1909 – Elias Muukka

Moonlight Coastal Landscape with Reflections, 1909 – Elias Muukka

Located in Stockholm, SE

Elias Muukka (1853–1938) Finland Månsken vid stranden (Moonlight by the Shore), 1909 signed and dated 09 oil on canvas unframed 31 × 40.5 cm (12.2 × 15.9 in) framed 44 × 54 cm (17....

Category

Early 1900s Romantic Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Friedrich August Bierschneider (1941-2012)  - 20th Century Oil, A Moody Evening

Friedrich August Bierschneider (1941-2012) - 20th Century Oil, A Moody Evening

Located in Corsham, GB

An expressive landscape by the artist Friedrich August Bierschneider (1941-2012) depicting a rustic village scene. The artist employs bold, gestural brushstrokes and a cool palette o...

Category

20th Century Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil