I paid no attention to the signature on this little gouache on cardboard painting when I found it, but searching for G. Stimmel quickly turned up George Stimmel, 1880-1964, a painter, printmaker, illustrator and designer who was born in New Jersey and educated at the Pratt Institute of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Stimmel went on to work as a set designer at the Metropolitan Opera and was a member of the Scenic Artists Union--which this painting, c. 1920s-30s I believe, clearly reflects. And in searching, I turned up two other examples of stage set paintings by him very aligned with this one, though these seems to be quite rare; most of his work depicted landscapes and scenes of daily life, including a large series of etchings of New York City landscapes and cityscapes.
I love this painting for its over-the-top but uncloying pinkness, and for the flavor of drama it seems to set the scene for, which one imagines as some sort of comedy of manners filled with exaggerated characters and misunderstandings and surely some romance, too. Full of charm and mood and the anticipation of delight I think!
Cardboard measures 10" x 7 1/2". Painting, directly on the board, 9 1/8" x 6 3/8". Very good condition, with Matthew's Galleries stamped on reverse.
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