Bruce kurland biography

About the same time, in NYC, the rebellious Abstract Expressionists were throwing "the principals of academic painting" off to the side. Bruce's formal academic technique and subject matter were not part of the American Avant-Garde, but he was not affected by it in the least. He had strong feelings about that. As a man, Bruce was a very emotional individual tempered by his extreme passion, discipline and the technique of his method of painting.

He was a master and his paintings are in a league with the great masters of the Still Life genre. The many works of art he has left behind are profound in their symbolism and emit their own raison d"etre. His paintings are primarily remarkable for their beauty and Bruce is remarkable for having painted them and given them to the world.

Bruce and I both agreed that much of contemporary art lacks one essential classical element—"Beauty. Although, my work is not at all in the same genre as Bruce's fine oil paintings, there was a very brief time, when Bruce and I influenced each other's technique and subject matter. He painted several paintings reminiscent of the collage work I was experimenting with at that time.

Bruce thought my painting had a somewhat humorous aspect. During that period he painted a bi-pedal strolling dill pickle, In another painting that I remember, he depicted a branch of Magnolia blossoms by collaging printed images of glamorous female lips representing Magnolia petals. He used white lead to adhere the printed lips onto the gessoed ground of the hardboard.

I thought that it was his genius at work to include contemporary visual motifs using his masterly luscious painted surfaces. Bruce was able to achieve these jewel like surfaces by using an oil painting medium called Megilp which historically is a mixture of mastic varnish and an oil medium. Sometimes the oil medium is linseed oil cooked with white lead.

It allows the oil paint to have a relatively short drying time, have a glossy surface or a dull surface by adding wax , and it is easy to paint with. It especially allows the artist to paint long thin, distinct lines example: hair when hair is called for, and it allows very thin transparent layers washes to be built up as the painted surface.

This layering allows for a surface appearing to have depth. Bruce often had to wait long periods for one layer to dry before applying another, even when using the Megilp medium. The patron felt slighted by the fact that he only took 15 masterpieces away in the deal. I had the pleasant and daunting task of choosing the frames for each painting. Bruce vehemently objected to any frame that was covered with gilt or painted gold and inevitably when I see his work framed at museums they are almost always framed in gold.

He preferred black or dark gray. Bruce's output was on average between 5 paintings per year. Similar artists. All Rights Reserved. Digital copying of these images and content strictly prohibited; violators will be subject to the law including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Facts about Bruce Kurland. Biographies Museums Publications Keywords.

Known for : Small scale still life, thick surface paintings. Still Life - Snipe. Arrangement with Magnolias. Previous Next. I remember seeing him working on a composition depicting a coke bottle, standing monumentally as a vase containing a magnolia branch with Displaying of characters. Subscriber Members, please Sign In for artist biographies and for all services.

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Bruce kurland biography

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