Entrance to Monaco by Augusta Payne Rathbone

Entrance to Monaco by Augusta Payne Rathbone

Entrance to Monaco

Augusta Payne Rathbone

Title

Entrance to Monaco

 
Artist
Year
c. 1938  
Technique
etching & color aquatint 
Image Size
14 1/2 x 10 5/8"  
Signature
pencil, lr 
Edition Size
19 of 20  
Annotations
titled, verso 
Reference
 
Paper
Arches wove cream 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
AR375 
Price
SOLD
Description

Rathbone captures the particular colors and shapes of the Rock of Monaco, a medieval fortification located in the Old Town district of Monaco, this view being from inside the Palace Square looking outward through double entryways. Its red brick-inlaid pathway leads up a shallow slope to the fortified walls. Rathbone depicts a silhouetted figure sitting on the obliging seat built along the entryway wall; a bright afternoon sun makes the structure appear to glow.

In the 1920s Rathbone furthered her art studies in France after graduation from the University of California, Berkeley. She took inspiration in the small villages on the Mediterranean coast, capturing not only the natural landscapes but the architecture as well. Her signature use of a rich palette combined with the simplest of lines works to communicate the beauty of this hidden, intimate entryway.