Lotus Pool, El Encanto, Santa Barbara

By the early 1920s, there were several exquisitely landscaped resort hotels that attracted the attention of Cooper, who was born in Philadelphia and who had studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. El Encanto (The Enchanted) became a favorite location for the artist. He made several paintings of the pond and pergola. This painting is a foreshortened view of the pond looking out toward the pergola and eucalyptus trees in the distance. The lush landscape is bathed in sunlight exhibiting his mastery of the plein air technique.