Items Similar to The Fool (from Journey of the Tarot Series), unique signed painting on canvas
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
Thelma AppelThe Fool (from Journey of the Tarot Series), unique signed painting on canvas2009
2009
About the Item
Thelma Appel
The Fool, 2009
Acrylic on Canvas
Signed, titled and dated by Thelma Appel on the back
Frame included (held in the artist's original wood frame)
Measurements:
Frame:
50 x 62 x 3 inches
Artwork:
48 x 60 x 1
This unique, signed painting was exhibited in the exhibition "Thelma Appel: Milestones" at the Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery, Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT, Fall, 2017. "The Fool" is part of Thelma Appel's original series of large paintings based upon the Major Arcana of the Tarot Deck, representing archetypes of human experience and characters - from a Kabbalistic perspective. Here, Appel re-imagines the archetypal "FOOL" of the Tarot, arguably one of the most misunderstood images. He is set against a plush, exquisite nightscape - setting about a journey at night and in the dark - but illuminated by the moon, perhaps representing one's imagination. According to Keen, "The Fool's impractical clothing, chosen for its fashionable sense, is not the best choice for the mountain road on which he is walking. Everything about this journey seems to be impractical. He is more interested in the flowers and the exhilarating walk than in the possible disastrous fall that may await at the next step. He did not bring a watchdog, he brought a small companion valued for its appearance and yet this is the only thing that seems to be saving him from himself... The Fool remains the most controversial card in the Tarot deck. It is the only card that has a zero on it; the other cards all adhere to the Roman numeral system. The origin of The Fool remains a mystery, with some translations of this card insisting that it is inherently a negative connotation and is more properly labeled "The Idiot." Other research reveals the card's origin as "Troubadour," an inspired aesthete traveling a long distance to entertain at the court of a king in some far off land. There can be no doubt, though about the power of the zero, historically. .... The Fool is a powerful card because its possibilities all start in nothingness and reach into infinity." The "Fools" journey can result in gold - but will it be "Fool's Gold" or the real deal? Remember also the Fool is perhaps the bravest figure in the Tarot because he (or she) is willing to risk everything - like the expression "Who dares, wins." The Fool, or zero, also symbolizes a fresh start and a new beginning, rife with possibility as well as risk. And what may seem foolish in a conventional reading, might be considered inspired and brilliant when viewed differently. The fool is impulsive and foolish, indeed, but, like life, his journey and his choices can only be evaluated in retrospect.
Combining her formal background in illustration, abstraction, landscape, figuration, and her interest in mysticism, spirituality and Kabbalah - Appel creates a uniquely original interpretation of the ages old Tarot deck, and is probably one of the only contemporary fine artists to undertake such an ambitious project.
Thelma Appel is a beloved landscape and abstract painter who has been working and teaching for more than six decades. She was raised in Darjeeling, India and educated in London, England, at St. Martin's School of Art (now Central St. Martins) and Hornsey College of Art before emigrating to the United States in the 1960s. Now in her 80s, her work is being re-discovered by a new generation of collectors and curators. Most recently, she was awarded "Most Expressive" by the Mattatuck Museum for her work in the invitational exhibition "The Art of Experience". Another painting of Appel's, "Exodus by Moonlight" (about refugees) was included in an exhibition at the Brattleboro Museum in Vermont. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues, including the Bennington Museum, the Berkshire Museum in North Adams, Mass., the Children's Museum of the Arts in New York City, the Mattatuck Museum, the Brattleboro Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Robert Hull Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont, the University of Pennsylvania Fine Arts Gallery - and seen on the A & E Television Series "The Way Home." In the 1980s, she was represented by the renowned Jill Kornblee Gallery on West 57th Street, and later Fischbach Gallery - (at the time the gallery of record for Alex Katz and other representational artist), and Appel's works were acquired by many private and public collections. She is also a longtime art teacher, having taught drawing at Parsons School of Design, painting at Southern Vermont College and at the University of Connecticut. In 1974 she was awarded a YADDO Fellowship, and in 1975, Thelma Appel, along with the painter Carol Haerer, co-founded the Bennington College Summer Painting Workshop, where many distinguished painters of the day, both abstract and representational, conducted master classes. Among them were Neil Welliver, John Button, Alice Neel, Larry Poons, Friedel Dzubas, Stanley Boxer, Elizabeth Murray and Doug Ohlson – a program that continued until 1980.
Appel became known primarily for her paint-soaked brush strokes on large canvases that sought to recreate the energy, color and immediacy of the landscapes. In a recent documentary interview, the artist explained why she considers herself a Romantic landscape painter: "Not recording mimetically what lay before me, but trying to express the excitement I felt in response to nature by using paint-soaked brush strokes on a large canvas wherein the over-lapping layered strokes of color were metaphors for the contiguities found in nature. My early paintings sought to recreate the energy, color and immediacy of the landscapes... o convey a more raw "painterly" feeling within the image, rather than recording a particular scene or looking on from a distance. "
- Creator:Thelma Appel (1940, American)
- Creation Year:2009
- Dimensions:Height: 49 in (124.46 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Very good original studio condition; held in the original artist's simple white wood hand made frame; the work can be re-framed by the collector with either a white wood shadowbox, or even an ornate gold frame - the possibilities are numerous.
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1745214385092
Thelma Appel
A co-founder of the Bennington College Summer Painting Workshop, Thelma Appel is a representational and abstract painter who has been working and teaching for more than six decades. Most recently, she was subject of a 50-year career survey (October, 2019 -February 2020) at the Brattleboro Museum in Vermont, entitled Thelma Appel: Abstract/Observed curated by Mara Williams. She was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, raised in Darjeeling, India and educated in London, England, at St. Martin's School of Art (now Central St. Martins) and Hornsey College of Art before emigrating to the United States in the 1960s. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues, including the Bennington Museum, the Berkshire Museum in North Adams, Mass., the Children's Museum of the Arts in New York City, the Mattatuck Museum, the Brattleboro Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Robert Hull Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont and the University of Pennsylvania Fine Arts Gallery. In 1974 she was awarded a YADDO Fellowship, and in 1975, Thelma Appel, along with the painter Carol Haerer, co-founded the Bennington College Summer Painting Workshop, where many distinguished painters of the day, both abstract and representational, conducted master classes. Among them were Neil Welliver, John Button, Alice Neel, Larry Poons, Friedel Dzubas, Stanley Boxer, Elizabeth Murray and Doug Ohlson – a program that continued until 1980. She has also taught drawing at Parsons School of Design, painting at Southern Vermont College and at the University of Connecticut. Appel’s work has been presented at Art on Paper, Texas Contemporary Art Fair , Market Art & Design in the Hamptons, Art Expo, and Art New York art fairs. Appel’s Times Square series of paintings was awarded a solo exhibition by the Chashama Foundation in their Chelsea exhibition space, and selected by the curator of the Port Authority exhibition program in Manhattan, and her work has been exhibited at the Sager Braudis Gallery (now Sager Reeves), Alpha 137 Gallery, the Fourt Points Gallery in Connecticut and other galleries nationwide.
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 2007
1stDibs seller since 2022
292 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Mount of OlivesBy Thelma AppelLocated in New York, NYThelma Appel Mount of Olives, 2010 Acrylic and Oil on Canvas Hand signed and titled on verso Artist's hand made frame included This painting was exhibi...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
- Times Square IX (Dallas BBQ)By Thelma AppelLocated in New York, NYThelma Appel Times Square IX (Dallas BBQ), 2016 Acrylic on Canvas Signed, titled and dated on the back Frame Included Measurements: Frame: 37 x 49 x 2 inches Artwork: 36 x 48 inches ...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- 42nd Street at Night from the Multiplex Cinema Roof (unique painting)By Richard HaasLocated in New York, NYRichard Haas 42nd Street at Night from the Multiplex Cinema Roof, 2008 Acrylic on canvas laid to board Hand signed and dated 2008 on the front Frame included: elegantly framed in art...Category
Early 2000s Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic, Canvas
- Sea Garden VBy Thelma AppelLocated in New York, NYThelma Appel Sea Garden V, 2014 Acrylic on canvas painting Signed, titled and dated verso of the canvas This is a unique work of art This work was featured ...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic
- Croton FallsBy Thelma AppelLocated in New York, NYThelma Appel Croton Falls, 1987 Acrylic on Paper on Board Signed, titled and dated by the artist on the back Frame Included Thelma Appel is a renowned abstract and representational p...Category
1980s Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic, Board, Paper
- Sea Garden IVBy Thelma AppelLocated in New York, NYThelma Appel Sea Garden IV, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas painting Unique Hand signed, titled and dated back of canvas Framed This work is accompanied by a limited...Category
2010s Realist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic
You May Also Like
- Snowy New York, Original Cityscape Painting, New York Statement Art, Mixed mediaBy Gill StorrLocated in Deddington, GBSnowy New York [2020] Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Snowy New York is an original work by artist Gill Storr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic, Gel Pen, Paper
- Maximum SaturationBy Jenny DayLocated in New Orleans, LAJENNY DAY is a painter who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She earned an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Arizona, a BFA in Painting from the University of Alaska Fa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsEnamel
- Rustics: Spring WeekendersBy Hannah BarrettLocated in Boston, MAHannah Barrett’s paintings imagine a colorful, absurdist world inhabited by eccentrics of ambiguous genders and time periods. With tongue-in-cheek nods to the past, Barrett combines...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil, Acrylic
- Eliyahu Boxer, Facets and Faces (triptych), acrylic & ink on canvas 60x150 cmLocated in Jerusalem, ILEliyahu Boxer Facets and Faces (triptych), 2023 acrylic and ink on canvas 60 x 150 cm 24 x 59 in Eliyahu was born in the United States and moved to Israel with his family at a ver...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Ink, Acrylic
- Nice II - XXI Century, Contemporary Acrylic Painting, Landscape, City viewBy Andrzej BorowskiLocated in Warsaw, PLAcrylics, own technique on canvas. ANDRZEJ BOROWSKI (born in 1969) He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts , at the Departments of Graphics and Painting in the atelier of professor Zb...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- Horizon - XXI Century, Contemporary Acrylic & Mixed media Landscape PaintingBy Andrzej BorowskiLocated in Warsaw, PLANDRZEJ BOROWSKI (born in 1969) He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts , at the Departments of Graphics and Painting in the atelier of professor Zbysław Maciejewski. In 1994 he was a...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsGold
