Winter 2016

Winter 130 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Alson Skinner Clark (1876–1949) La Jolla Cove, 1928 Oil on canvas, 25½ x 29½ inches Collection of the Automobile Club of Southern California The unusual coastline rock formations in the La Jolla area have been attracting artists since about 1900. At that time, San Diego was adjusting to an influx of people during the Southern California land boom of the late 1800s. Some of those new residents were artists who often traveled the fifteen miles north to the village being developed near La Jolla Cove. Alson Clark, a world traveled professional artist, settled in Southern California after serving in World War I. He developed a reputation in the Los Angeles region as an important fine artist and art instructor. In the late 1920s, he was included in a list of the twelve premier California artists of the era. In 1929, each of those artists agreed to have one of their paintings reproduced on the cover of Touring Topics , a monthly magazine published by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Clark’s La Jolla was on the cover of the September issue. His impressionist style reflects his studies with American Impressionist William Merritt Chase. When Clark painted this picture, the first of many hotels had just been built in La Jolla and people from all over Southern California were vacationing there, drawn by its ideal climate, surf bathing, and magnificent sunset views.