Reuben Axel Carlson

Untitled mountain lake
Reuben Carlson
Oil on board
24 × 18 in. (28 × 22 in. framed)

This oil painting depicts a mountain lake bordered by evergreen forest and steep rock faces, with layered peaks receding into the distance. The composition centres on still water and a restrained, atmospheric rendering of the surrounding landscape, using a cool palette of blues, greens, and greys.

The work is signed “Reuben” at the lower right. On the reverse, the artist’s full name and Calgary address are handwritten, identifying him as Reuben Axel Carlson and placing him in Calgary, Alberta at the time the painting was in his possession. The inclusion of a home address and telephone number suggests the work was intended to circulate—available for sale, commission, or contact—rather than remain solely within a private collection.

Reuben Axel Carlson was born on December 2, 1909, in Davis, Minnesota, and died on July 28, 1983, in Calgary, Alberta. Other landscape paintings by Carlson, typically oil on board and depicting mountain or rural scenes, have appeared at auction, confirming an established body of work and ongoing circulation beyond his lifetime.

While the exact location depicted here is not identified, the subject matter and Carlson’s Calgary residence situate the painting within the visual tradition of mid-century Rocky Mountain landscapes produced by artists living and working in western Canada. The painting reflects direct familiarity with the region rather than a generalized or symbolic view of wilderness, emphasizing observation and place over spectacle.

This work stands as a documented example of a regional landscape painter whose practice was rooted in proximity, repetition, and lived experience of the Canadian Rockies.

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