Shapero Gallery Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

An original mixed media drawing by American artist A.J. Fries.

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Azure Clouds" is an cyanotype of the semi-abstract patterns of clouds in the sky, showing shades of blue. Details: + Tit...

Themistokles von Eckenbrecher (1842 Athens - 1921 Goslar), Norwegian pine grove, 1901. Watercolor on blue-green paper, 30 x 22 cm. Signed, dated and inscribed in his own hand "TvE. Fagermes [i.e. Fagermes]. 26.6.[19]01." - Slight crease throughout at left margin, otherwise in good condition. About the artwork Themistokles von Eckenbrecher often traveled to Norway to study the nature that fascinated him there. On June 26, 1901, near the southern Norwegian town of Fagernes, in the summer evening sun, he saw a small pine grove, which he immediately captured in a watercolor. He exposed the trees growing on a small hill in front of the background, so that the pines completely define the picture and combine to form a tense motif. The tension comes from the contrast of form and color. The trunks, growing upward, form a vertical structure that is horizontally penetrated by the spreading branches and the pine needles, which are rendered as a plane. This structural tension is further intensified by the color contrast between the brown-reddish iridescent trunks and branches and the green-toned needlework. Themistokles von Eckenbrecher, however, does not use the observed natural scene as an inspiring model for a dance of color and form that detaches itself from the motif and thus treads the path of abstracting modernism. Its inner vitality is to be brought to light and made aesthetically accessible through the work of art. It is precisely in order to depict the inner vitality of nature that von Eckenbrecher chooses the technique of watercolor, in which the individual details, such as the needles, are not meticulously worked out, but rather a flowing movement is created that unites the contrasts. The trees seem to have formed the twisted trunks out of their own inner strength as they grew, creatingthose tense lineations that the artist has put into the picture. The inner strength continues in the branches and twigs, culminating in the upward growth of the needles. At the same time, the trunks, illuminated by the setting sun, seem to glow from within, adding an almost dramatic dimension to the growing movement. Through the artwork, nature itself is revealed as art. In order to make nature visible as art in the work, von Eckenbrecher exposes the group of trees so that they are bounded from the outside by an all-encompassing contour line and merge into an areal unity that enters into a figure-ground relationship with the blue-greenish watercolor paper. The figure-ground relationship emphasizes the ornamental quality of the natural work of art, which further enforces the artwork character of the group of trees. With the presentation of Themistokles von Eckenbrecher's artistic idea and its realization, it has become clear that the present watercolor is not a study of nature in the sense of a visual note by the artist, which might then be integrated into a larger work context, but a completely independent work of art. This is why von Eckenbrecher signed the watercolor. In addition, it is marked with a place and a date, which confirms that this work of nature presented itself to him in exactly this way at this place at this time. At the same time, the date and place make it clear that the natural work of art has been transferred into the sphere of art and thus removed from the time of the place of nature. About the artist Themistocles' parents instilled a life of travel in their son, who is said to have spoken eleven languages. His father, who was interested in ancient and oriental culture, was a doctor and had married Francesca Magdalena Danelon, an Italian, daughter of the British consul in Trieste. During a stay in Athens - Gustav von Eckenbrecher was a friend of Heinrich von Schliemann and is said to have given him crucial clues as to the location of Troy - Themistokles saw the light of day in 1842. After an interlude in Berlin, where Themistokles was educated at the English-American School, the journey began again. From 1850 to 1857 the family lived in Constantinople, after which the father opened a practice in Potsdam, where Themistokles, who wanted to become a painter, was taught by the court painter Carl Gustav Wegener. In 1861 the von Eckenbrechers left Potsdam and settled in Düsseldorf. There Themistokles received two years of private tuition from Oswald Aschenbach, who greatly admired the talented young artist. After his artistic training, he undertook extensive travels, often accompanied by Prince Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, which took him to northern and eastern Europe, but above all to the Middle East and even to South America. The paintings that resulted from these journeys established his artistic reputation and led to his participation in large panoramas such as the 118 x 15 metre Entry of the Mecca Caravan into Cairo, painted for the City of Hamburg in 1882. 1882 was also the start of a total of 21 study trips to Scandinavia, most of them to Norway, and the unique Norwegian landscape with its rugged fjords became a central motif in his work. Along with Anders Askevold and Adelsteen Normann...

Scottish artist Robert Carrick (1829-1904) is renowned for his landscape and figurative paintings in oil and watercolor. This painting features detailed drawings of figures in the foreground with wagon, and the town and scenery in the background, painted over in watercolor in rich raw umber and red-brown tones in the foreground and blue green tones in the background. Carrick showed promise at a young age, exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy age 16. He was a member of the Royal Institute. This two-toned watercolor work has detailed figures, wagon with hay in the forefront above a view of Dunoon town near Glasgow as it was long ago. Signed by the artist, lower left with an inscription that reads: 'View of Dunoon, Argyllshire drawn by Robert Carrick, Glasgow, for David Allan'. Verso includes a copy of the same inscription. Saltire Gallerie replaced the cracked and dirty plain glass with art glass and added an acid-free paper behind the work. While doing this work we found an art giclee, included with the painting. Presented in a patterned wooden frame with art glass. Dunoon was a thriving town on the river at the time of this work, and later became part of Glasgow. The view from above the town is a popular one, as Saltire Gallerie has another view of Dunoon from above by Scottish artist Patrick Downie...

A stylish, vintage early 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's accessories and Elizabeth Arden cosmetics. Artwork size: 11 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches. Archivally ma...

James Tower. English ( b.1919 - d.1988 ). Still Life Of Cut Flowers In A Pottery Jug, 1945. Watercolor & Ink. Signed & Dated Lower Right. Image size 13.2 inches x 10 inches ( 33.5c...

A lovely and curious composition, circa 1780. Ink and wash on tissue thin Japon paper, adhered to period cream laid paper, 5 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches (132 x 84 mm), the full sheet. With ...

Finely detailed figurative illustration of a young woman leaning against a fence. The woman is wearing a plaid dress and bonnet with a black ribbon. Some of the landscape has been il...

Abstract Still Life with Roses and Coffee Set in Watercolor on Paper Colorful still life with flowers and a coffee pot by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). A brig...

"Foxglove" (2024) Is an original watercolor fantasy painting, which depicts a young witch and her black cat in the center of a clearing in a forest, rife with magical flora and fauna...

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This cyanotype shows a desert palm tree located in the majestic mediterranean city of Cairo, Egypt. Details: + Title: C...

James Tower. English ( b.1919 - d.1988 ). Still Life Of Flowers In A Jug And A Plate Of Fruit. Watercolor & Ink. Image size 15.4 inches x 13 inches ( 39cm x 33cm ). Frame size 22.2 ...