Rudolph F. Ingerle (Austrian-American, 1879 -1950), Charm of the Smokies

Oil on canvas board, signed at lower left, retaining labels to verso with title and inscription "To Mr. Mrs. Louis A. Heile / With best Wishes for Health and Contentment / February 26-1949"; presented in a giltwood frame below glass.

Sight size 9 1/2 x 13 5/8 in.; Frame dimensions 16 1/4 x 20 1/4 in.

From the Collection of Mr. Jonathan P. Alcott, Raleigh, North Carolina

Rudolph Ingerle, sometimes called "The Painter of the Smokies" was born to a Moravian family in Vienna, Austria, and immigrated to the United states as a child. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and was an early founder of the Indiana School of Painting in Brown County and the Society of Ozark Painters.

Ingerle first visited the Smoky Mountains in 1920 and was enamored by the natural beauty of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. At that time, the area was threatened by logging companies. Ingerle painted numerous landscapes there and is in part credited for raising awareness of the forest's need for protection, resulting in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934.

Ingerle maintained a studio in Chicago from which he exhibited paintings in many major museums and galleries including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy, the Mint Museum, and the Hickory Museum of Art during his lifetime.

Very good condition, not examined outside the frame.