Charles Krutch (Tennessee, 1849-1934) East Tennessee river watercolor and gouache landscape painting, depicting a tree lined river bank with meadow or blue skyline in the background. Signed KRUTCH in red, lower left corner. Housed in a molded gilt frame. Retains old partially legible Knoxville framing label. Sight – 4 3/4″ H x 8 3/4″ W. Framed – 13 1/2″ H x 17 5/8″ W. Late 19th/Early 20th century. Biography (Courtesy Knoxville Museum of Art): Krutch is regarded as one of East Tennessee’s first painters to specialize in scenes of the Smoky Mountains. Krutch earned the nickname “Corot of the South” for his soft, atmospheric watercolor and oil paintings of the mountain range that served as his sole focus. Totally untrained as an artist, he often applied thick layers of oil paint with brushes as well as his fingers. Krutch’s goal was to capture the changing “moods” of the mountains. Provenance: Knoxville, TN estate. CONDITION: Painting overall very good condition. Back of painting with slight bowing, water stain, not affecting the image. Minor rubbing/losses to gilt frame.