Brenda Morrison

Still Life with Flowers

1982

Initialed upper right, 'C.N.' (Danish, 19th Century) and dated 1898. A late nineteenth-century oil composed with a fresh palette and finely-observed detail. This elegant feline stud...

Signed lower right, 'Kinji Tagawa' (Japanese, born 1909) and painted circa 1955. Additionally signed in Kanji, verso, and titled, 'Still Life' with further inscription. Accompanied b...

Signed lower right, 'A. Minewski' for Alexander Minewski (American, 1917-1979) and painted circa 1950. Born in Detroit, Alexander Minewski left home at the age of 14 to work in the circus. He subsequently worked as a sign painter and a logger. Minewski first studied at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit (1936-1939) and received scholarships that allowed him to attend the Art Students League in New York City (1939-1942). There, he studied under artists including Jean Charlot, Ernest Fiene, George Grosz and Vaclav Vytlacil. During World War II, Minewski joined the army and fought as a combat engineer. Wounded in Burma while fighting with Merrill's Marauders, he spent two years there recovering from his wounds. Following his time in Burma, Minewski studied for two years on the G.I. Bill in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere (1950-1952) and, independently, with Hans Hofmann in New York City (1952-1953). Hofmann was influential on his style and his work shifted away from a moody realism towards a fuller expressionism. In 1954, Minewski began spending his summers at the artist’s colony in Monhegan Island, Maine. While there, he was able to work and collaborate with other artists and friends such as Ted Davis...

Signed lower left 'Moessel' for Julius Moessel (American, 1872-1960) and dated 1943; additionally titled verso, 'In the Artist's Garden'. A substantial, mid-century horticultural oi...

Guy Bardone (1927 - 2015, French) "Nature Morte à la Table Blau (?)" / Still Life at the (?) Table. Oil on canvas with a lovely frame surrounding. The picture in greens and browns...

This exquisite still life by renowned artist Moïse Kisling features a graceful vase of white and lavender flowers set against a serene sky-blue background. Painted in the soft, delic...

oil on canvas signed by the artist. This work will be included in “Volume IV and Additives to Volumes I, II and III” of the Catalogue Rasionne currently in preparation by Marc Ottavi...

Jean Grimal is a true 20th century discovery. This breathtaking piece is a gorgeous example of his mastery as an artist. He beautifully creates chiaroscuro in this painting. The way the light touches the edges of the Chinese bowl and the grapes is an example of his skill in representing light. Jean Grimal (1942-1998) was born in the town of Tulle, France in 1942. Jean’s family moved to Paris when he was 8 years of age. After receiving a classical French education with studies in Latin and Greek, Jean Grimal entered the University to receive his Baccalaureate. He then attended Claude Barnard School for three years, when he received his Art Degree.  Upon completion Grimal taught art for seven years.  As Grimal’s own interest in formal painting and art began to possess him, the artist’s destiny changed.  In 1967 Jean Grimal stepped aside from teaching and pursued a career in professional painting and working as an illustrator in advertising.  As an advertising illustrator, Grimal worked with Lise Goldfard for more than 25 years at Studio 44 where they collaborated with major and important accounts, such as: Air France, Christofle, Peugeot, Lacoste, to name a few. At the same time he began presenting his formal paintings to galleries in Paris and Cannes, France and in London and Windsor, England.  Much to his surprise, Grimal found that his paintings were sought after by major art galleries and collectors throughout Europe.  After a number of years of being an important and successful art illustrator for these major accounts, he found himself having to choose between the two.  Fortunately for collectors, he chose to dedicate his life to the classical style of painting.  Jean looked at the simplest things in life through a microscope, where he could take the simplest object and depict the age of the fruit or the leaf. Jean Grimal received great pleasure from his work and painted for over thirty years.  As his style matured and became ever more perfect Jean Grimal truly reached the pinnacle of his career.  The artist’s methods were particularly distinguished when measured against his peers.  Grimal’s painting skill was distinctive and exceptional. Jean Grimal was known for his realistic trompe l’oeil and still life paintings.  The artist would carefully arrange the objects to form a satisfying composition.  By painting every shadow, highlight, and reflection within each composition Grimal brought mundane subjects to life.  His tight rendering combined with his attention to light and detail allowed him to blur the lines between illusion and reality, truly making his works one of a kind.  Grimal’s trompe l’oeil paintings consist of intricate compositions of cards, envelopes, photographs, paper of different materials and weights, backs of canvases, images of other artists’ works, kitchen utensils, pistols, and more.  Grimal had a talent for mastering these illusions that deceive the eye in his trompe l’oeil paintings.    No matter what genre Grimal was painting, tight, unperceivable brushwork characterizes his work.  The artist painted every crease and crinkle, every shadow and highlight, every detail.  By doing so, he was able to capture each individual surface texture of the objects in his paintings.  Grimal was also fabulous at depicting light in his paintings- often contrasting strong lights with strong darks, creating chiaroscuro modeling.  His still life paintings are reminiscent of Dutch seventeenth century...