Arus S. Williams (1848-1911) American School PLAYING, 1888 23 x 36 inches / 28½ x 41½ framed Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right: “Arus S. Williams 1888” Provenance: Private Collection, Armand duVannes, Los Angeles, California (since 1981) Arus Williams, who was a Minnesota artist, has painted this genre picture in a naïve style. The term “naïve”, as related to the arts, generally means that the artwork has a strong sense of design with linear contours and decorative descriptive composition. As a “Folk” painting, a work like this has a timeless quality. Naïve paintings are always collectible as artists from around the world from every country have painted in this style. Naive artists of the 19th Century are often unlisted, self taught and without formal training. Because of their attention to detail, they may take a few months or years to complete a painting. In PLAYING, the little girl has just thrown a stick into the water for her dog to retrieve, while her playmate watches from his resting place on the bank of the stream. The picture is framed in a simple period style wooden frame with a 24Kt. gold liner, so as not to detract from the charming narrative within the painting.

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