High contrast color, sunlight falling on baskets and bowls, flowers and fruit, or occasionally a bottle of wine - this describes the still life paintings of Chuck Rosenthal. Mr. Rosenthal does paint other subjects, but still life is a favorite and wonderfully done. Many of his beautiful oil paintings hang in galleries, offices and private homes.
There is something about the textures expressed in Mr. Rosenthal's paintings that makes one feel like one could just touch it and feel the temperature, the roughness or the coolness and smoothness of the objects in his paintings. In "Daffodils and Grapes," the artist has contrasted the smooth cool grapes with the textured linen tablecloth and the bright wrinkled daffodils with the smooth glass of the vase that contains them.
In "Fruit Harvest" a uneven and obviously very used basket is placed next to a cool smooth metal goblet. Pears cascade out of the basket, painted in a manner that lets the viewer know of their softer texture compared to the lone smooth, shiny harder apple in the foreground. The goblet viewed as a goblet is an amazing piece of work. But if one looks closely, one will notice that in order to get that effect, the artist used every color of brown from the very lightest, almost white, to the very darkest, almost black.
Another still life from this artist, "Fruit Harvest II," features a bottle of wine, a bowl of fruit spilling out onto a beautifully textured tablecloth. The dark background and wine bottle, contrasted by the bright fruit and tablecloth almost puts the viewer in the room where that scene is. One can imagine the heavy drapes and elaborate furniture.
In his painting "Teapot and Fruit," the artist leads us into perhaps a kitchen where apples, grapes and a rough hand made teapot rest on a work table. The dark blue of the background contrasts well with the light colored teapot and table, and the roughness of the teapot is in contrast to the smoothness of the fruits. Light barely comes through the dark background - perhaps a heavy cloth covers a window.
Soft pears in the foreground of "Roses from the Garden" give depth and contrast to this painting showing the difference in textures with the hard glass bottle and frilly roses in that bottle. The brightness of the three different colored roses also contrasts with the very dark background. And the dark bottle that holds the roses is beautifully painted - although it is dark, it still pops out from the dark background because of the light falling on it.
Mr. Rosenthal exhibits a bright and lively style of painting in still life, in contrast to the motionless objects he is painting and the dark rooms where they sit. Certainly the artist has studied paintings of past centuries when still life paintings were so popular. But he brings to this kind of painting a modern touch, his own style.
You can see pictures of these paintings at www.theparkplacegallery.com, the website of The Park Place Gallery in Leawood, Kansas. Chuck Rosenthal paintings are on display there.
There is something about the textures expressed in Mr. Rosenthal's paintings that makes one feel like one could just touch it and feel the temperature, the roughness or the coolness and smoothness of the objects in his paintings. In "Daffodils and Grapes," the artist has contrasted the smooth cool grapes with the textured linen tablecloth and the bright wrinkled daffodils with the smooth glass of the vase that contains them.
In "Fruit Harvest" a uneven and obviously very used basket is placed next to a cool smooth metal goblet. Pears cascade out of the basket, painted in a manner that lets the viewer know of their softer texture compared to the lone smooth, shiny harder apple in the foreground. The goblet viewed as a goblet is an amazing piece of work. But if one looks closely, one will notice that in order to get that effect, the artist used every color of brown from the very lightest, almost white, to the very darkest, almost black.
Another still life from this artist, "Fruit Harvest II," features a bottle of wine, a bowl of fruit spilling out onto a beautifully textured tablecloth. The dark background and wine bottle, contrasted by the bright fruit and tablecloth almost puts the viewer in the room where that scene is. One can imagine the heavy drapes and elaborate furniture.
In his painting "Teapot and Fruit," the artist leads us into perhaps a kitchen where apples, grapes and a rough hand made teapot rest on a work table. The dark blue of the background contrasts well with the light colored teapot and table, and the roughness of the teapot is in contrast to the smoothness of the fruits. Light barely comes through the dark background - perhaps a heavy cloth covers a window.
Soft pears in the foreground of "Roses from the Garden" give depth and contrast to this painting showing the difference in textures with the hard glass bottle and frilly roses in that bottle. The brightness of the three different colored roses also contrasts with the very dark background. And the dark bottle that holds the roses is beautifully painted - although it is dark, it still pops out from the dark background because of the light falling on it.
Mr. Rosenthal exhibits a bright and lively style of painting in still life, in contrast to the motionless objects he is painting and the dark rooms where they sit. Certainly the artist has studied paintings of past centuries when still life paintings were so popular. But he brings to this kind of painting a modern touch, his own style.
You can see pictures of these paintings at www.theparkplacegallery.com, the website of The Park Place Gallery in Leawood, Kansas. Chuck Rosenthal paintings are on display there.
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