Laguna Trees

Between 1890 and 1912, Guy Rose worked and lived in close proximity to the Impressionist Claude Monet in Giverny, France. After Rose returned to his native Southern California in 1914, he frequently painted coastal scenes in an Impressionist style. In 1915 and 1916, he visited the seaside communities of Laguna Beach and La Jolla. In order to capture the light, airy sky, and eucalyptus trees shown in this depiction of Laguna, he likely worked directly from nature, setting up his easel near the Pacific under the purple shadows of an unseen tree.

The son of a California senator, Rose was born in San Gabriel and ultimately became California’s foremost Impressionist. He studied at the California School of Design in San Francisco and in 1888 went to Paris to train at the Académie Julian.