Charles Culver

"Untitled (Dock Scene)" Watercolor on Paper, Local Scene, Buildings, Water

1940

The idyllic atmosphere of this country scene falls within a couple of styles one being regionalism, an American realist modern art movement that included paintings, murals, lithographs, and illustrations depicting scenes of rural and small-town America primarily in the Midwest and frequently associated with Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. The other style is romanticism wherein the scene depicted is a more desired or dramatic version of what actually is. “Untitled (Winter Road)” is a quiet country scene depicting a road leading into the distance either going to or coming from a local farm. The snow does not particularly seem fresh suggesting a melt and the coming of spring. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and conservator glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles...

The idyllic atmosphere of this Mexican scene is located in Mexico, west of Mexico City and south of Guadalajara. “Red Hills Near Patzcuaro” is set in a golden light. and was one of three paintings by the artist while the artist visited Patzcuaro, Mexico. The humans depicted lend an atmosphere to the painting and an indication of location - dressed in native Mexican peasant dress - without being obtrusive and causing the viewer to concentrate on them. The intense red hills of Patzcuaro are the feature in this painting along with the pinon and juniper trees and the Chamisa shrub. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and museum glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles Culver...

"Mexicantown: Bagley Bridge" is a proposal drawing for a mural completed by Hubert Massey in 2016. It is colorfully rendered on paper with color pencil a...

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY "Song of Songs Illustration" renders an important bibilical story that is celebrated during Jewish Passover. Song of Solomon, also called Canticle of Canticles, or Song of Songs, an Old Testament...

Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Dock, Year: circa 1960, Medium: Watercolor, Size: 16 in. x 20 in. (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm), Description: Looking out over a boathouse on a ...

This atmospheric watercolour captures the essence of a bustling harbour, with moored boats in the foreground and city buildings rising hazily in the background. Unsigned. Presented i...

A atmospheric watercolour capturing a boat yard at dusk. Just above a long grass verge, boat mast can be seen silhouetted by the last of the light. The artist has signed the scene to...

Watercolor and ink depicting moored boats along the marina, figures walking on the boardwalk beneath pastel structures with shop fronts. Presented in a brushed/smooth goldtone nickel...