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拍品專文
In Farmyard, Oscar Bluemner expertly composes a dynamic arrangement of architectural and natural forms in contrasting hues, incorporating his ever-evolving philosophies of art, medium and, specifically, color. Inspired by a barn in Rutherford, New Jersey, the work embodies Bluemner’s accompanying diary notes: “All is curves...Terrific reds, blacks...large massy rhythmical greens—all very bold.” Combining striking geometries with his signature vermillion coloration, the present work depicts Bluemner’s quintessential theme: the joining of the natural and manmade worlds.
The present work demonstrates the bold use of red which earned Bluemner the nickname “Vermillionaire.” The hot red of the barn stands out against the greens and blues of the foliage that melts into the background. The tree’s curving leaves seem to blow in the wind beneath the sky, which pulsates with a subtle glow of light. Juxtaposed by the increasingly geometric shapes of the architecture, Bluemner highlights the opposing forms created by nature and man.
Farmyard further demonstrates Bluemner’s predilection for experimentation in its materials and stylistic influences. Executed in 1928-29, the present work belongs to a group of oil paintings that “utilized a high-keyed palette and a German banana varnish, which created glossy, hard surfaces akin to enameled lacquer…Compositionally, Bluemner’s new paintings mixed the pure color and curvilinear patterns of Japanese prints…with the layered space and calligraphic rhythms of Chinese art…Rounded contours, modeled forms, and enlivened arabesques replaced the clearly demarcated, static shapes of his earlier work. By densely layering images in a tightly compressed space, Bluemner replicated the rhythms and effervescence of life.” (B. Haskell, Oscar Bluemner: Passion for Color, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2005, p. 118) Indeed, Farmyard is teeming with a sense of energy heightened by the rhythms of nature pulsing with life around the barn.
The present work was shown at the hugely successful one-man show of 1929 at the Whitney Studio Galleries in New York, entitled Exhibition of Twenty New Oils on Panels by Oscar Bluemner. These works debuted Bluemner’s glassy surfaces and carefully layered glazes. Among this celebrated group of experimental panels are the similarly striking Last Evening of the Year (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York) and Red Night, Thoughts (Vilcek Foundation, New York).
Embodying Bluemner’s revolutionary ideas of color, materials and composition, Farmyard is a stunning culmination of the principles that the artist developed and perfected over the course of his career.
The present work demonstrates the bold use of red which earned Bluemner the nickname “Vermillionaire.” The hot red of the barn stands out against the greens and blues of the foliage that melts into the background. The tree’s curving leaves seem to blow in the wind beneath the sky, which pulsates with a subtle glow of light. Juxtaposed by the increasingly geometric shapes of the architecture, Bluemner highlights the opposing forms created by nature and man.
Farmyard further demonstrates Bluemner’s predilection for experimentation in its materials and stylistic influences. Executed in 1928-29, the present work belongs to a group of oil paintings that “utilized a high-keyed palette and a German banana varnish, which created glossy, hard surfaces akin to enameled lacquer…Compositionally, Bluemner’s new paintings mixed the pure color and curvilinear patterns of Japanese prints…with the layered space and calligraphic rhythms of Chinese art…Rounded contours, modeled forms, and enlivened arabesques replaced the clearly demarcated, static shapes of his earlier work. By densely layering images in a tightly compressed space, Bluemner replicated the rhythms and effervescence of life.” (B. Haskell, Oscar Bluemner: Passion for Color, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2005, p. 118) Indeed, Farmyard is teeming with a sense of energy heightened by the rhythms of nature pulsing with life around the barn.
The present work was shown at the hugely successful one-man show of 1929 at the Whitney Studio Galleries in New York, entitled Exhibition of Twenty New Oils on Panels by Oscar Bluemner. These works debuted Bluemner’s glassy surfaces and carefully layered glazes. Among this celebrated group of experimental panels are the similarly striking Last Evening of the Year (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York) and Red Night, Thoughts (Vilcek Foundation, New York).
Embodying Bluemner’s revolutionary ideas of color, materials and composition, Farmyard is a stunning culmination of the principles that the artist developed and perfected over the course of his career.