Nicols, Audley Dean (American/Pittsburgh/Arizona/Texas, 1875-1941), Cloudless Sky, Arizona Desert, 1915, oil on canvas, 18.5 x 26.25 inches, signed and dated lower left, an early and extremely rare 20th Century photorealist painting of the Arizona Desert, in a period Arts and Crafts frame measuring 22,5 x 30.5 inches. Provenance: Wunderly Galleries, Pittsburgh, PA. Nicols was born and raised in Sewickley, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He painted portraits and public murals in the city, and had a piece in the 9th Carnegie International in 1904. Nicols started to visit Arizona and Texas around 1912, and settled permanently in El Paso in 1922. He is considered to be one of the best painters of Southwest desert light, and influenced a generation of Texan artists known as the Purple Mountain Painters. in good condition with very faint crazing throughout, not visible except in raking light. Merchandise will be packed and transported by the purchaser at their own risk and expense. A list of recommended shippers is on our website: https://www.conceptgallery.com/auctions/shipping/ .