Haig Patigian (1876-1950) American, Watercolor on Paper. Captures the destruction he witnessed during the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, when he walked through the streets encountering "the great pile of City Hall." The Great Dome was stripped bare of its architectural adornments, and stones rose skyward in a skeleton of dusty structural steel. Signed, dated '12, and inscribed "To Cobby" lower right. Torn tag on back with previous gallery information. 

Condition: Small stain along top on verso. 

Overall: 14 1/2 X 7 1/2 in. 

Sight: 13 3/4 X 6 3/4 in. 

#3981 . 

Haig Patigian was born January 22nd, 1876 in the city of Van in the Ottoman Empire, now part of Turkey. His parents were teachers at the American Mission School there, and the family moved to San Francisco, California when he was in his teens to avoid growing tensions between the Armenians and the Turks. From an early age he was interested in art, experimenting with watercolors and oils, and he was largely self-taught as a sculptor. In 1894 he enrolled in the Mark Hopkins Institute, and after graduating he worked as an illustrator for the San Francisco Bulletin, producing cartoons, illustrations, and watercolors that they published. On the morning of April 18th, 1906 Patigian was awakened by the terrible Great San Francisco Earthquake, which destroyed almost the entire city, both in the initial quake and from the many fires that erupted in the aftermath. He became fiercely dedicated to rebuilding the city, and married Blanche Hollister of Courtland, who he met as part of the American Red Cross efforts, in 1908. He traveled to Paris where he studied sculpture, honing his skills, and returned to San Francisco in 1912 where he began to craft numerous large-scale sculptures and architectural art pieces. His work for the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in 1915 and the later Golden Gate International Exhibition in 1939 garnered him significant acclaim. The Oakland Museum includes a large number of his works in its collection, and more can be seen in and around San Francisco City Hall. Patigian was an active member of the Bohemian Club, serving two terms as club president. He also designed the Owl Shrine, a 40-foot high hollow concrete and steel structure which was built in the 1920s to have the appearance of a natural rock outcropping which happened to resemble an owl, and which became the centerpiece of the Cremation of Care ceremony at the Bohemian Grove starting in 1929, as well as their symbol. He passed away on September 19th, 1950.

Small stain along top on verso.