This has been a harsh winter in many parts of the country. It’s a natural human reaction to want to hunker down inside a warm, cozy house and watch the snow fall outside. It’s also natural to want to paint a scene on a balmy day, when all looks pastoral and serene, but some painters can not only see the beauty of the snow and the fog, but are able to capture that beauty on canvas.
Guy Wiggins 1883-1962
Guy Wiggins was born in Brooklyn and spent much of his career painting winter scenes of New York from his studio in Manhattan. Like his father, painter Carlton Wiggins, he studied at the National Academy of Design. The allure that Wiggins was able to imbue in his Manhattan winter scenes gave his work a unique appeal.
His works are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and other major museums.
Wolf Kahn 1927-2020
Like Guy Wiggins, Wolf Kahn worked from his studio in Manhattan. Unlike Wiggins, Kahn was inspired by scenes around his summer home in Brattleboro, Vermont and then returned to Manhattan to complete the Vermont landscapes.
“The environment in which my paintings grow best is at Broadway and 12th Street.” he said. “I can see nature most clearly in my studio, undistracted by trees and skies. Art being emotion recollected in tranquility, I constantly find Nature too emotional, and Broadway very tranquil.”
Kahn’s work can be found in the collections of the Met, Washington, the Smithsonian and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as in the collections of President Bill Clinton, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and onetime U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Thomas Hart Benton 1889-1975
Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri and became one of America’s foremost Regionalist painters. Much of his work focused on the struggles of the people of the midwest. Although Benton himself like to present a midwestern persona, he studied in Paris and lived in New York City for more than 20 years.
Thomas Hart Benton’s works are part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. His murals can be seen in major venues around the U.S.
The Works of Guy Wiggins, Wolf Kahn and Thomas Hart Benton at Surovek Gallery
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Guy Wiggins, Wolf Kahn and Thomas Hart Benton at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Miles McEnery. A Tribute to Wolf Kahn. The Brooklyn Rail. June 2020.
Kevin O’Connor. International Medal of Arts Winner Turns 90; Wolf Kahn shows his true colors. The Berkshire Eagle. June 20, 2017.
Wolf Kahn with David Kapp and Robert Berlind. The Brooklyn Rail. Art/In Conversation. May 2007.
