Emily Farish

Chinese Magnolia Branch (triptych)

2021

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees. This charcoal drawing entitled “Memory of Leaves” beautifully illustrates the branching form of a mature birch tree. Loosely drawn with informal, sketch-like linework, the tree is shown in the middle of winter, bare of leaves and white with frost. Surdo’s skillful placement of shadow illustrates the forking branches with incredible texture and effortless realism. The intricate play of light and dark is accentuated by the stark white background, a negative space that isolates the tree in space and time. Restricting the composition to only a portion of the tree trunk, Surdo accentuates the tree’s abstract form, lingering on areas of unusual shape or texture. Seeking to convey the strong emotional response elicited by his initial encounter with the tree, Surdo focuses on the tree’s sculptural form, contrasting the strong trunk...

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees. Entitled “Faith,” this small-scale charcoal drawing depicts a tree trunk carved with two deep cuts in the shape of a cross. The carving has healed over, assimilated into the bark as just another interesting detail. Up close, the work is loosely drawn with a heavy hand, but from afar, the natural scene still achieves a sense of realism. The tree trunk is conveyed through chaotic scribbling and aggressive strokes of light and dark charcoal, resulting in a pattern that simulates the rough texture of bark. Light falls softly on the tree, illuminating its form against the dark, atmospheric surroundings. The striking imagery of this work conveys the strong emotional response elicited by Surdo’s personal encounter with this tree. Restricting the composition to only the scarred portion of the tree trunk, Surdo focuses on symbolism of the cross carved into the tree’s side. The carving was inflicted upon the tree by an individual, whether as an act of graffiti or the object of adoration. Despite this wound, the tree persists and grows, adapting and changing until the mark is but another interesting detail. The tree’s spirit endures and speaks to the strength it takes to heal oneself, whether physically or mentally. Charcoal on paper...

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...

The eerie timeless Flat Iron building stands silhouetted against a winter sky one day in NYC. Tom was struck by the severe geometry of an historic b...

Bridge on the River is a beautiful drawing in pencil and charcoal realized by the French painter Emile-Louis Minet in 1919. The state of preservation is very good, except for a small...

Tree and House is a precious pencil study realized by the French painter Emile-Louis Minet. The state of preservation is excellent. The piece of paper comes from a sketchbook, and it...

Naturalistic pencil drawing of a New Mexican landscape by artist Madelyn Colby. The work features a grove of trees surrounding a small abandoned building with the hint of a mountain ...

A natural landscape painting is beautiful because it connects us to the innate tranquility and majesty of the natural world. The harmonious colors, such as the greens of forests, the...

Melodie Provenzano lived and worked in New York City until 2020. After receiving her BFA from Parsons School of Design in 1996, she freelanced for more than a decade painting windo...

Peter Caledon Cameron (American, born Scotland, 1852-c. 1920) Absecon Island, New Jersey, 1894 Watercolor on paper, 17 1/2 x 27 inches (sight) FRAMED: 26 1/2 x 36 1/2 inches Signed and dated at lower left: "ABSECON.ISLAND./ N.J-U.S.A Cameron/1894" N.J-U.S.A Cameron/1894" Born in Perth, Scotland, Peter Caledon Cameron won awards for drawing and penmanship at a Glasgow public school. He claimed that at the age of fourteen his watercolors were already "in demand," and that before turning twenty he had "crossed every ocean in the world, sketching and painting as he went." He attended the Government School of Design in London and was certified as an art master in 1883. Cameron immigrated to the United States that year, settled in Philadelphia, and commenced work on large history paintings such as Niagara in Winter (unlocated) and Vesuvius in Grand Eruption (unlocated) that he exhibited in various northern cities. He exhibited one painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1902. Nothing is known of his activities later in life. In a lengthy inscription that accompanies this watercolor, Cameron noted that Absecon was "a piece of the best sand-dune region characteristic of the whole coast of New Jersey State from Sandy Hook point in the North to Cape May Point in the extreme south." This was one among a number of studies the artist made for a large oil painting titled "Captain Kidd Burying His Treasure" (unlocated). The famous Scottish privateer Captain William Kidd...