A "New" Gentileschi

Nothing we make can last forever. A teacher of mine often said that most of our paintings won't live longer than we do. Another told me that even now, after a career of several decades as a painter, he discards about forty percent of his paintings. So the longevity of our paintings and sculptures may be short. That's no reason to employ shoddy materials nor to ignore proven methods. Although most artwork dies with us, the remainder should still be durable and permanent enough to last. Those ideas came to mind with the discovery of a centuries-old lost work by Artemesia Gentileschi (1593-1656) being widely reported in the last few days. According to news reports the mis-identified painting was damaged severely in an explosion and will require a great deal of restoration.

Artemisia Gentileschi, "Susanna and the Elders," 1610

I posted about the painter and her work a couple of years ago. Briefly, she was one of the most successful painters in Europe during the early 17th century. Ms. Gentileschi was born in Rome and trained under the tutelage of her father Orazio, himself a very successful and well-known painter. Her natural aptitude meant that she mastered oil painting while still in her teens. "Susanna and the Elders" (right) dates to her 17th year. The composition, draftsmanship, drapery and cloaks, fluid figural and facial gestures plus her clear mastery of color demonstrate her skills. The influence of Caravaggio (a contemporary of her father) is evident, too.

Not long after she painted Susanna and the Elders Ms. Gentileschi was attacked by a man who worked in her father's studio, and raped. Her father had the man prosecuted (which is why the story is known). She married a painter from Florence not long after and moved there after the trial. Her career there was so successful she was the first woman admitted to the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. She moved to Rome after about a decade, where her career continued to flourish. Besides Rome she later lived and worked in Venice, and in England at the invitation of King Charles I (her father was court painter at the time). 

Damaged Gentileschi painting--note the huge tear across and over Hercules' knee (photo: NY Times)

Neglected for a long period, her work has become considerably more popular over the last century. Now, a painting known as "Hercules and Omphale" is being authenticated as one of her works. Previously considered work of an unknown, the 6'x8' work suffered significant damage in the huge explosion in Beirut a few years ago. It had hung in a nearby mansion for many years. Today the work is undergoing extensive restoration at the Getty in Los Angeles. Already, many glass fragments have been removed (it was near a window) and stabilization, repair of tears up to 20 inches long, relining, filling losses and relining must be completed before the work is retouched. It will likely require several years' work. There are only about 60 known works by this incredible master.

Vastness

Long ago, when I was an undergraduate (the 1960s) I met a man who had been one of the very first to settle on the open western plains. Before his family plowed that patch of prairie under, it had been grassland with tops as tall as a man and more. There were still abundant wildlife, antelope and deer, (buffalo were long gone) but you only saw them when they jumped higher than the grass. He said that from the seat of a horse-drawn wagon the grasses were like waves of the ocean, rippling green and shining into the sunlit distance. Those ancient prairies and grasslands are mostly gone now, but remnants survive in parts of the Whiterock Conservancy. Oak savanna is a prairie-like landscape dotted with copses of oak trees. At the Conservancy you can imagine the immensity, the ocean-like vastness, that once was. 

"Oak Savanna, Whiterock," oil on panel, 12x16

 

Autumn

There's been a hard frost here in Iowa, but otherwise the weather has been seasonal, with cooling temperatures. Besides that the light changes, slanting lower across the sky and lighting up changing foliage. Autumn is the time for one last burst of vibrant life before the skies come down and the landscape goes grey. 

"Fall Finale," oil on canvas, 18x24

"Fall Finale" is a view of one of my favorite painting places, Gray's Lake. The lineup of trees along the north point go bright orange when the weather changes.

Whiterock Watercolor

While consolidating photos and files of my time at Whiterock Conservancy I chanced on a forgotten watercolor sketch. During my first week or so there I did a few small watercolors in addition to plein air oil paintings. This particular painting is of the Middle Raccoon River just downstream from the River House. The morning sun was on both banks but the river flowed dark as coffee under the far bluff. Later on there will likely be a studio oil of the same motif.

"Downstream," watercolor on paper, about 8x10

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Whiterock Morning 

Whiterock Residency

Plein Air at Whiterock

 

Travel

It's difficult to take along an array of oil paint and brushes when traveling. You can check paint and materials when flying (no solvents though), but besides the hassle of flying you have to find a way to get the wet paintings home. Watercolor doesn't present those difficulties. For one thing, no solvent besides water is needed and for another the entire setup including a sketchbook or block of watercolor paper can be slipped into a carry on bag or into checked luggage. For years, I've carried watercolors with me when traveling.

"Arch of Septimius Severus, Rome," 1999

       "Seattle Street," 2013

                                                  

"Omaha Summer Arts Festival," 2013

"La Rambla, Barcelona," 2017

As you can see, we've been fortunate to travel quite a lot before the pandemic. Since then not so much. Regardless, whenever we go I take my watercolors.

Autumn Light

Every year I look forward to the light of October and November. The sun is lowering in the sky daily and the twilight lingers a bit. If the weather cooperates with clear skies we can experience those golden minutes as the sun touches places where it's usually excluded. The bright slanting sunshine lights up the land and water for a painter. 

"Gray's Lake, Autumn" is the result of an outdoor painting excursion nearly a year ago. I often paint outdoors at the lake. It's convenient and provides a myriad of views. In this case I was interested in how the morning light touched the wildflowers along the western shore of the lake. The water was deeply reflective at that time of day, too, but very still and smooth. The season was very early--trees just turning yellow here and there, but the grasses were going dormant and wildflower seed heads were full.

"Gray's Lake, Autumn," oil on panel 12x9

Figures

The human figure has been a subject for artists since prehistory. Figures in cave art have now been dated to more than 40,000 years ago, suggesting that the human form has been central to image making since the human species has existed. 

Figurative work has been a small part of my painting output for a number of years. Here is a selection of figures from a few years ago, exploring human figures and relationships in a nearly monochromatic palette.

"Just Leave," oil on panel, 12x12

"Nocturne," oil on panel, 12x12

"Stormy Day," oil on canvas, 24x18

"Goodbye, oil on panel, 16x20

 

Two Trees

"Out Back," oil on panel

Like many before me, I return again and again to certain subjects. Andrew Wyeth, for example, painted the nearby Kuerner farm dozens of times during his career. Claude Monet is known for his series of haystacks. Francis Bacon painted several images of Pope Innocent X in his "Screaming Popes" series. 

In my own practice, a pair of unlikely trees have been one of my series. Just out the window of my home studio is Druid Hill Creek, and beyond that a small woods. Two trees with contrasting sizes stand before the others, often more brightly lighted. Over the years most of the pictures I've done of the two trees have been paintings--oil and watercolor. Here are a handful.

"Blue Spruce," oil on panel

"Across the Creek," watercolor on paper

"Foliage," watercolor on paper

"The Other Bank," oil on panel