A near identical version of this painting was published March 1907 in The Burr McIntosh Monthly, a New York publication featuring artists, performers, musicians and high-society. Clark Hobart's "The Peacock" was featured in the May 1905 edition and another of his works (a portrait) was on the cover of the March 1907 edition. The "Fantasy of Dreams" page, the March 1907 magazine and the page featuring "The Peacock" will all be included with the painting.
Clark Hobart was known for his Impressionist landscapes and portraits, but was also regarded as a master creator of monotype prints.
Hobart was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1868 but while still a young boy he and his family relocated to California. His first art instruction was at the California School of Design in San Francisco, California where he studied under Giuseppe Cadenasso and later, privately with William Keith. He moved to New York City and studied at the Art Students League, and then worked in New York City as a commercial artist between 1903 and 1911.
Soon after, he moved back to Monterey, California where he was thrust into the new center of
Impressionist painting. In 1915 he was awarded the silver medal for his work with monotype prints at the Panama- Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California and was featured at the Oakland Civic Art Gallery upon its opening in 1916. Hobart spent time in a studio he maintained in San Francisco and also in the Los Gatos area of California. He exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1915 and 1918; the National Academy of Design in New York, 1916; the Bohemian Club, San Francisco, 1923 and 1929; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1915.
Clark Hobart remained active in Northern California for the remainder of his life, with homes and studios in San Francisco, Monterey, and Los Gatos. Clark Hobart died at the Napa State Hospital, California, in 1948.
Exhibitions:
California Society of Etchers; Del Monte Gallery (Monterey), 1912-13; California Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915; Panama-Calif. Exposition (San Diego), 1915; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1915, 1918; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1915; Kennedy Gallery (NYC), 1916; NY Architectural League, 1916; National Academy of Design, 1916; Calif. Liberty Fair, 1918 (1st prize); San Francisco Art Association, 1918 (prize), 1921 (1st prize), 1922 (gold medal); Western Ass'n of Art Museum Directors, 1922; Bohemian Club, 1922, 1923 (solo), 1929; Golden Gate International Exhibition, 1939; Oakland Museum, 1981.
Work in Permanent Collections:
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; CHS; Bohemian Club;
Mills College Art Museum (Oakland); Oakland Museum; Salinas High School; Nevada Museum (Reno); Monterey Peninsula Museum.
