Robert Gilmore
Ma Jolie oil painting by Robert Gilmore
Circa 1955

About the Item

From Gilmore's 2010 exhibition "Lost Horizons: The Paintings of Robert Gilmore" – Robert Gilmore says he tries to breathe life into each of his paintings. After that, “they are on their own. They have to tell their own stories.” This major show of oil paintings by Gonzaga’s longtime painting professor will be on display through Dec. 11, 2010. “If you want to know about me, then go to my art show,” said Gilmore, whose works in this exhibition are his most recent. Gilmore’s brush marries the traditional and modern in lush surfaces and rhythmic compositions. Subjects are derived from forms and visual ideas he finds within the landscape. Not the familiar landscapes of the Hudson River School movement, but interior landscapes suggesting a horizon, a sunset, a cave or cavern. Says Gilmore, “I’ve been searching for something. These paintings go to the deepest part of me.” Gilmore has dedicated most of his life to teaching and painting and has produced hundreds of paintings that have been collected across the country. His artistic career began at the Boston University School of Fine Arts where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1964. Gilmore earned a scholarship to Yale/Norfolk Summer School in 1963, and studied with faculty there as well. Among Gilmore’s influences are Walter Murch, Reed Kay, David Aronson, Gabor Peterdi, and Reginald Pollock. His teaching career began at Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane in 1964 and continues today at Gonzaga where he is The Kreielsheimer Professor of Art. Gilmore’s own education and teaching, founded on traditional approaches to painting, were inspired nonetheless by the great modernists like Jackson Pollock, Philip Guston, and William DeKooning, and other abstract expressionists, including Northwest painters Mark Tobey and Mark Rothko.

Creator:

Robert Gilmore (1923 - 2016, American)

Creation Year:

Circa 1955

Dimensions:

Height: 10.25 in (26.04 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)

Medium:

Canvas,Oil

Movement & Style:

Abstract

Period:

Mid-20th Century