Ponte Vecchio: Early Morning 10 in. X 5 in. (25.4 cm X 12.7 cm) acrylic on gessoed Masonite®
SOLD
The Ponte Vecchio or "Old Bridge" in Florence, Italy was built in 1345 and has withstood floods, wars (it was the only bridge in Florence to avoid being blown up during WWII) and over 600 years of time. This view is early morning from the east.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
“Pandora’s Box” 6in. x 6in. (15.2cm x 15.2cm) acrylic on gessoed Masonite®
SOLD
This painting is a pithos or ancient Greek storage jar. It was painted in the style similar to one in the Louvre Museum in Paris. A pithos jar was supposedly the container Panodora brought with her to Epimetheus, from Zeus, which she was forbidden to open. Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus who had stolen fire from Zeus to give to mankind. When Pandora through her curiosity opened the container she released all the misfortunes of mankind.
Because this painting was done for a benefit auction it seemed fitting since the purpose of the benefit is to support a worthy need of humankind, thus helping to redress what Pandora set loose upon the world. Today we think of Pandora’s container as “Pandora’s Box” however the myth according to Hesiod says it was a storage jar. The last thing to come out of the jar was hope, thus giving us reason for optimism in spite of misfortune.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
If you are visiting my blog for the first time or to see all my works posted in the past you can click HERE to go to my Daily Painters gallery.
For more information on this or any of my paintings send an email to: wolberinchina@hotmail.com
Oil and Wine
6in. x 6in. (15.2cm x 15.2cm) acrylic on gessoed Masonite®
SOLD
This painting was originally to be posted on August 17 along with “Pandora’s Box”, however I didn’t have access to my computer that day so it didn’t get posted. Now I’ll post it here then later move it to the August 17 date on my blog. Both jars are ancient Greek vessels. The Lekythos (tall jar) was used for storing oil, especially olive oil and the Kylix was a drinking cup for wine or water.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
"Historical Image" 18in x 34in acrylic on Gessoed Masonite®
Collection of Edward and Gale Carter McCullough
To be included in the Gifts of Art Exhibition
See details on Sunday, August 12 posting.
Doors and doorways have always fascinated me as you can see by these last three postings. There is a sense of mystery or the unknown about what is beyond the door. When I paint a door or doorway I’m often reminded of the door to the wardrobe in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and the first book of the series The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. What an adventure lies beyond the wardrobe door.
This painting was inspired by a number of my own experiences while traveling and studying in Europe. Brunelleschi’s Hospital of the Innocents in Florence inspired the arcade. The other images in the painting are autobiographical and involve too much to discuss in a short paragraph here. It is rather meant to convey a sense of personal history and a love of historical forms that are part of the life of the artist. The spaces are created in such a way as to lead one through the work so that one feels as if you have really been in these places. The open and closed doorways are intended to give a sense of mystery and at the same time lead one into and out of the forms. How many doorways can you count in this painting?
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
For more information on this or other of my paintings send an email to: wolberinchina@hotmail.com
“Museum” 23in x 20in acrylic and oil on gessoed Masonite®
This is also an older work to be included in the Gifts of Art exhibition.
This painting is actually a mixed media painting, first painted with acrylic on Masonite® then finished in oil. I wanted to be able to do the figures in oil because oil allowed more flexibility with transparency in the flesh tones. It’s sometimes said you can’t mix oil and acrylic, and that’s true, except you can always paint oil over acrylic but of course you can’t go the other way with acrylic over oil. So, in this painting, I used oil over acrylic for the two figures in the foreground and for some of the color in the Giorgio de Chirico painting on the museum wall.
I found the two museum guards a bit humorous in the way they were standing here in the doorway carrying on a conversation while facing different directions. This painting was a view in the modern museum of art in Vienna, Austria when I visited there for the first time on one of my sabbatical studies.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
For more information on this or other of my paintings send an email to: wolberinchina@hotmail.com
Recently I've been working on an exhibition of my work to be shown in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Beginning August 27 through October 17, 2007 an exhibition of my work will
be shown at University of Michigan Health System through the Gifts of Art
program. The exhibit will be in the Taubman North 2D Gallery. It will
include 29 acrylic paintings including 12 small paintings as seen on my blog
and 17 larger works including European subjects and recent China paintings.
I will be posting a few of these works on the blog so you can have a preview
of the content of the exhibition.
Anyone in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area or anyone visiting the University of
Michigan Health System is invited to visit the Taubman center to see the
exhibition.
Gifts of Art brings the world of art and music to UMHS patients, their
families and friends, and staff. This comprehensive program, one of the
first of its kind in the nation, was developed as an extension of the
Hospitals' commitment to excellence in patient care, research, and
education.
UMHS is located at1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Exhibit times: 8 am-8 pm.
"Entrance" 36in x 30in acrylic on Masonite®
Entrance is one of the paintings included in the show at UMHS Gifts of Art exhibition. This is a large painting from an earlier period of my work done of the 100 year old house where we lived in Southern Illinois. This painting is still in my posession and will be available in the exhibition.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
Danse Macabre: Tribute to Ingmar Bergman
30 in x 41in Oil on canvas Not For Sale
The famous Swedish filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman died early Monday morning, July 30, 2007. He was 89.
His death brought back memories of the time I first saw his film "The Seventh Seal". This was during my existential period when, as a young artist, I was working in the abstract and I was moved by the films portrayal of a knight traveling through Europe trying to stave off death and suffering. The final scene of the film created what I saw as the dance we all play with life and death or the theme “Danse Macabre”.
“Danse Macabre” was painted many years ago and was my attempt to create the feeling of the knights’ duel, dance, or chess game with the figure of death which Bergman portrayed so well in his film. Ingmar Bergman has now finished his own "Danse Macabre" or Dance with Death. I offer this painting here as my tribute to his genius who the world will miss as one of the great creative artists of our time.
© Copyright by Paul Wolber
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