Lot 175
Rita Derjue (American, 1934-2020). Landscape with Pueblo Church and Mountains. Watercolor on paper, n.d. Signed at lower right. Accompanied by exhibition catalogue. A chapel stands rooted in sunwashed adobe tones, its simple facade echoed by crosses that rise quietly into the sky, framed by a landscape that rolls and swells like a living hymn. This watercolor by Rita Derjue captures not only the architecture of place, but the atmosphere that surrounds it - the movement of light across hills, the hush of altitude, the play of sky and earth. A white picket gate in the foreground offers a gesture of welcome or perhaps memory, suggesting the viewer may step through into reverie. Derjue's brush is both swift and sensitive, building the composition with transparent washes and confident, spontaneous strokes. Size of painting: 26" W x 20" H (66 cm x 50.8 cm); of frame: 34.25" W x 28.25" H (87 cm x 71.8 cm)
Derjue's brush is both swift and sensitive, building the composition with transparent washes and confident, spontaneous strokes. A signature of her watercolor style, this balance between discipline and freedom reflects her long engagement with German Expressionism and her lifelong habit of painting plein air during hikes across the Colorado Rockies and travels abroad. Though the subject here appears to be a Southwest chapel - possibly in New Mexico or Southern Colorado - the light and line reflect Derjue's distinctive synthesis of observation and emotional response, shaped by decades of sketching, teaching, and painting across twenty-five countries.
Signed clearly at lower right, this work exemplifies the approach Derjue described in her journals and interviews: to seize the spirit of place rather than reproduce its forms. As with much of her output, the painting shows her refusal to treat landscapes as static backdrops - they are living environments, shaped by weather, memory, and vision. Whether in South Park, China, or the hills beyond Littleton, Derjue painted what she called "the light on the mountains" - and here, in this watercolor, that light still lingers.
Rita Derjue (1934-2020) was a spirited American painter whose life and work were defined by bold color, expressive brushwork, and an insatiable passion for place. Born in Warwick, Rhode Island, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and later at Munich's Akademie der Bildenden Kunste, where German Expressionism left a permanent mark on her style. She absorbed the vivid palettes of the Blaue Reiter, the abstraction of Ernst Geitlinger, and the emotional urgency of European modernism. Her early travels to Mexico and Peru, along with a master's degree at Cornell, deepened her artistic range and set her on a lifelong course of creative exploration across continents.
In 1963, Derjue settled in Littleton, Colorado, where she became both an artistic force and a civic presence. Her paintings - vibrant landscapes, expressive urbanscapes, and abstract compositions - channeled her love of the outdoors, often created on location while hiking, skiing, or climbing the Colorado peaks she adored. She taught at Arapahoe Community College and institutions across North America and Europe, mentored generations of artists, and helped lead art collectives like The Nine and L'Assemblage. She also used her art for preservation, capturing historic buildings before they vanished and championing the cultural and natural heritage of her community.
Derjue exhibited in over 100 shows, including retrospectives at the Littleton Museum and exhibitions in Germany and New England. Her work is held in major public collections such as the Kirkland Museum, the Loveland Museum, and the Denver Public Library. She remained devoted to the act of painting until her final years, keeping journals, sketching from life, and recording the changing light over South Park and Como. Through her luminous vision and fierce creative drive, Derjue left an enduring impression not only on paper, but on the communities and landscapes she loved.
Provenance: private Erie, Colorado, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s
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#189651
- Condition: Painting is mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Has not been examined outside of glass, but both frame and painting appear to be in excellent overall condition. Signed at lower right and accompanied by exhibition catalogue
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