Helmut Gransow

Helmut Gransow Landscape w/House & Barn "Springtime Reflections No. I"

1975

Impressionist Landscape" is an exquisitely peaceful late summer scene along the banks of a quiet river. The dappling yellow and green leaves and the spots of blue sky give the perfect impressionistic feel to the scene. Impressionism was a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color. Methven captured this impression perfectly. It is as fresh today as when it was painted in 1902 so much so that you can almost hear the rustle of the leaves and see the shifting light. The gold gilt frame is original to the piece. Without the frame the piece measures 20 h x 16 w. It is signed by the artist. Methven was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the 1930's he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he painted with other area Chicago artists and showed at The Art Institute of Chicago. He spent his summers in Benton Harbor, Michigan, along Lake Michigan. He is known for his landscapes and water scenes. Michigan has numerous rivers, creeks and small lakes and Methven would have had a wealth of scenes to draw upon for his numerous oil paintings. He studied under Henry Fenton Spread who taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later founded Spread's Art Academy. In 1902, this academy became the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Spread was named the first president of the Chicago Society of Artists in 1889. Known primarily as a portraitist, Spread also painted landscape and genre scenes. Although a skilled artist, he did not exhibit widely; his primary legacy being fostering a love of art in Chicago. Fellow artist (and former student of Spread), Ralph Clarkson, the noted Chicago society portrait painter, stated that Spread' s "fine and advice formed the careers of the men who were not only to achieve prominence as artists, but to occupy leading places as art teachers". Harry Wallace Methven...

“Late Afternoon Landscape” is set in the golden light of evening painted in the mid-west town of Utica, Michigan. It has the atmosphere of when work is done and peace and quiet blanket the countryside. The The farm machinery has ceased its racket as has the family dog wandering about for one last sniff. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and conservative 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...

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...

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D. Weston Image Size: 16 x 20 Frame Size: 22 x 24 Medium: Oil "Farm House & Barn"