In this ongoing series for Fine Art Today, we take a longer look at the history and features of a soon-to-be-available artwork of note. This week: Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, “Winter Landscape with Wood Gatherers and Skaters.”
“Prince of Landscape Painting” was the well-deserved titled given to Dutch romantic painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862). Be that as it may, this was only one of the endless number of awards and honors Koekkoek received over his career.
Koekkoek was an artist from birth, as his father, Johannes, and his two brothers, Hermanus and Marinus, were also successful painters. Barend, however, would enjoy the most career success, counting among his illustrious patrons King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV of Prussia, Tsar Alexander II, and King Willem II of the Netherlands.
Like many other romantics of his generation, Koekkoek found endless fascination in the majesty and sublimity of creation. Like his contemporary artist Caspar David Friedrich, Koekkoek preferred to place diminutive figures within imposing natural landscapes. “The motif was a popular source of inspiration among Romantic artists,” writes Heritage Auctions, “emphasizing a humbling contrast between the inconsequential stature of mankind, and the grandeur and vastness of creation.”
Heritage Auctions will offer a beautiful original from the painter during its June 24 “European Paintings” sale in Dallas, Texas. The work, titled “Winter Landscape with Wood Gatherers and Skaters,” dates to 1854 and represents the artist’s mature years. Continuing, the auction house describes, “Set in the fiery golden glow of a dwindling sun, this work combines all the elements for which the artist was best known: dazzlingly detailed figures in various states of daily activity, an evocative atmospheric mood, and an emphasis on the sublimity and majesty of nature. This work reveals a careful study and synthesis of Dutch seventeenth-century painters, and firmly roots the artist within the great tradition established by masters such as Hobbema, Cuyp, Ruisdael and Wynants. The golden light and the inclusion of travelers in his work suggests Koekkoek also admired the Dutch Italianate painters of the seventeenth century, including Pieter van Laer and Jan Both.” Auction estimates are between $150,000 and $250,000.
To view the full catalogue, visit Heritage Auctions.
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Featured Lot: Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, “Winter Landscape with Wood Gatherers and Skaters”
Splendor, Myth, and Vision
Mark your calendars for June 11 at the Clark Museum in Massachusetts: That’s when a monumental exhibition of Old Master paintings from the Prado Museum opens.
It seems apropos that the first word in the title of an upcoming exhibition at the Clark Museum is splendor because that’s exactly what patrons can expect. Featuring 24 unforgettable masterpieces never before shown in America, “Splendor, Myth, and Vision” celebrates the role of the nude in Western painting.
Among the notable names included in the exhibition are Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacopo Tintoretto, Diego Velázquez, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin, Luca Giordano, Guido Reni, and Jusepe de Ribera.
Via the museum, “The works presented in ‘Splendor, Myth, and Vision’ are among the finest of the Prado’s unparalleled holdings, selected not only for their relationship to the exhibition’s themes, but also for their beauty and historical significance.”
To learn more, visit The Clark Museum.
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Crusading for Art
Did you know that May is the month of the Santacruzan, which commemorates the discovery of the Holy Cross by St. Helena? However coincidental it may be, an awesome solo exhibition entitled “Crusaders” has been mounted in the Philippines. Find out more here!
A master of human anatomy with an acute eye for detail, renowned realist Orley Ypon will offer the public his newest oils during a magnetic exhibition at the BenCab Museum in the Philippines. “Crusaders” will showcase Ypon’s penchant for depicting crowds of writhing bodies in naked glory. Twisting, laughing, smiling, and in all sorts of emotional states, these bodies seem to race toward an undetermined end. “In many of the works, the playful, cavorting bodies are seen rising from the sea — the genesis of all life,” says the artist.
Orley Ypon, “Budyong,” 2016, oil on canvas, 32 x 40 in. (c) BenCab Museum 2016
Orley Ypon, “Adrift Series 1,” 2016, oil on canvas, 32 x 48 in. (c) BenCab Museum 2016
Orley Ypon, “Man with Idol,” 2016, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in. (c) BenCab Museum 2016
Continuing, the artist describes his work: “Well-composed and beautifully executed, the works subtly comment on societal ills and concerns of the present. True to the Horatian ideal, although in a different art form, Ypon seeks to delight and instruct the viewer, prodding him to open his eyes and look around with a fresh appreciation and understanding of his community and the world, and of himself.”
To learn more, visit the BenCab Museum.
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How One Artist Captures Domestic Spaces
Opening June 9 at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota, is an outstanding solo exhibition from one of the nation’s top representational painters. Discover his secrets in capturing the domestic sphere.
Classically trained and grounded in traditions of the Old Masters, painter Jeffrey T. Larson is, without a doubt, a name that should perk the ears of collectors and traditional art enthusiasts. “Domestic Space” is the latest display of Larson’s talent and mastery of oil at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota. The exhibition will be on view through September 18.
Jeffrey Larson, “Fish on Bowl,” 2006, oil on canvas, 12 x 11 1/2 in. (c) Tweed Museum of Art 2016
The museum reports, “Visitors to the exhibition at the Tweed Museum of Art can expect a rich introduction to classical realism, a term invented by Larson’s mentor, Richard Lack (1928-2009). The exhibition presents thirty works, including portraits and still life paintings created in Larson’s studio during winter months, as well as figures in nature which he paints en plein air, in full summer sun. The ‘wow’ factors in these works are the meticulously rendered colors, tones and textures of still life objects, which range from shiny new to age-mellowed, and the surprising range of intense color in his light-drenched outdoor scenes.
Jeffrey Larson, “The White Sheet,” 2006, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in. (c) Tweed Museum of Art 2016
“Jeffrey Larson studied from 1980-84 with Richard Lack (1928-2009) at Atelier Lack in Minneapolis. Lack is credited with preserving and passing on classical techniques and teaching methods which extend back to the master-apprentice system of 17th-19th century European academies. To expand his artistic education, Larson also studied anatomy at the University of Minnesota, bronze-casting at private foundries, and traditional paintings in museums in Europe and the U.S.”
To learn more, visit the Tweed Museum of Art.
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How to Depict Silver and Glass
An innovative exhibition in Michigan seeks to explore the illusionary properties of glass and silver. Who are among the artists represented, and where? Details are just one click away!
Opened on April 16 and on view through June 11, “Reflective Illusions: Depicting Silver and Glass” is a compelling exhibition that showcases a how a diverse range of artists depict the two difficult materials.
Among the included artists in the show is Jane Jones, an Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master. Jones is renowned for her still life paintings of gorgeous flowers in crystal-clear vases. Jones is regarded as a master of glass and the subtle nuances of light as it cascades through this refractory material.
To learn more, visit the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art.
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Meeting the Masterworks
The International Guild of Realism (IGOR) is one of the world’s most prestigious institutions for traditional arts. On view for just a few more days is a tantalizing exhibition of masterworks from the organization’s most exceptional painters. Where?
On view through June 11 at the Albany Museum of Art in Albany, Georgia, are nearly 70 masterworks by 65 of the International Guild of Realism’s most outstanding painters. Selected by a jury of their peers, one can rest assured that the quality and impact of the works displayed will be like no other.
Via the museum webpage: “Contemporary realism emerged in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a movement concerned with the straightforward realistic approach to representation which continues to be widely practiced in this post-abstract era and is different than photorealism, which is somewhat exaggerated, ironic and conceptual in nature.”
To learn more, visit the Albany Museum of Art.
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Recognize these Famous Faces?
The Whistler House Museum of Art is renowned for mounting exquisite exhibitions, which once again holds true from June through August with this outstanding show of famous faces.
The Whistler House Museum of Art is overjoyed to be presenting a number of outstanding portraits by Nancy Ellen Craig. From June 29 through August 6, the museum will display 26 portraits of famous figures that highlight Craig’s talent, ambition, and breadth of style. Many of the portrait subjects are monumental social, intellectual, and political figures of the 20th century and have been carefully selected for exhibition.
The late Craig (1927-2015) was born in New York City and studied at Bennington College and the Art Students League. Among the notable faces she captured were Frank Lloyd Wright, Lady Jean Campbell, and Anjelica Huston. The museum reports, “Throughout her career, Nancy Ellen Craig’s critics have compared her work to that of Thomas Eakins and John Singer Sargent. She won numerous awards in both the United States and Europe, including the Audubon Artists Patrons Prize and the $20,000 Pollock-Krasner award. Her work now resides in such collections as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Baltimore Art Museum, and the John Ringling Museum.”
Whistler House President and Executive Director Sara Bogosian said, “We are proud to present this outstanding collection of portraits by Nancy Ellen Craig, whose natural genius and talent in form, color and line transcends the test of time and continues to bring high praise from leading art critics past and present.”
To learn more, visit the Whistler House Museum of Art.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
Blurring the Lines
Western Art Forum, a tantalizing gallery located in Big Sky, Montana, recently announced that it will open a new location in Billings. The gallery specializes in challenging the distinction between Western and contemporary art.
Kira Fercho never imagined that she would be the owner of a popular art gallery — let alone two. That’s the title she now holds after Western Art Forum opened a new location in Billings, Montana, adding to an already successful location in Big Sky. Fercho says, “My commission sales have taken me into many homes. From that evolved my turning into an art dealer of sorts, representing works that I enjoy by people that I love. It is evident to me that my clients not only enjoy my impasto-style oil paintings, but also enjoy light and airy abstracts as well as dreamy tonal paintings. Nothing gives me greater joy than placing my friends’ works in the homes of people that I have gotten to know.”
Western Art Forum has established itself by representing a diverse range of artists — each exhibiting a unique style that blends Western art traditions with contemporary visions. To learn more, visit Western Art Forum.
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Burgeoning Artists You Should Keep an Eye On
For the ninth consecutive year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is hosting a major juried exhibition of student artworks from public schools throughout the city.
Although the students included in this year’s “P.S. Art 2016: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of NYC Kids” are only just beginning their lives, many are sure to become tomorrow’s most sought-after artists. For the past nine years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has hosted a juried exhibition in which students from across the NYC districts submit their original works. This year’s exhibition will open on June 14 and run through October 23.
The students will undoubtedly have long journeys toward developing their skills and techniques, but intangible talent is sure to be on vibrant display. The Met reports, “The Museum will celebrate the artists with an opening ceremony for students, parents, and teachers at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, the evening of the City’s annual Museum Mile Festival, after which the exhibition will open for a special public viewing. In addition to being displayed at The Met, a select group of works of art from the exhibition will also be featured for five days on outdoor digital screens in Times Square, June 22-26, courtesy of the Times Square Advertising Coalition.”
This year’s exhibition features nearly 100 artworks from 100 young artists illustrating both the contemporary child’s perspective on our modern world and their broad spectrum of life experiences in one of the world’s largest cities. The MET reports, “Images of the selected works will be shown for three minutes every hour from Wednesday, June 22, through Sunday, June 26, on signs owned and operated by ABC, Bank of America, and Clear Channel Spectacolor. A press conference will mark the kickoff of this collaborative project at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22, on Military Island (located in Times Square on Broadway, between 43th and 44th Streets).”
To learn more, visit the MET.
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Are You in a Parallel Universe?
An upcoming exhibition in New York will challenge your imagination as it “introduces and explores the reality of a constant parallel universe,” the gallery writes. Who are the artists and works included?
It was over 100 years ago that the famed Albert Einstein introduced the world to his mathematical theorem E=MC2, an equation that would forever fundamentally alter our perception of our universe and the laws that govern it. Through the creative eyes of several accomplished artists, including two Russian-born painters — Igor and Marina — this equation and its potential ramifications for our universe are reimagined.
“Parallel Universe” will open at New York’s RJD Gallery on June 18 and will remain on view through July 17. The two major artists of the show, Igor and Marina, are deeply inspired by the Dutch and Italian Renaissance and “combine these elements of realism with bold contemporary colors and then add notes of surrealism, abstraction, and hints of the Russian avant-garde,” the gallery reports. Along with Igor and Marina, additional artists included in the exhibition are Salvatore Alessi, Margaret Bowland, Jennifer Gennari, Margo Selski, Philip Thomas, Armando Valero, and Andrei Zadorine.
To learn more, visit RJD Gallery.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.