WOLF KAHN
The Early Years
November 20, 2010 - February 19, 2011
Jerald Melberg Gallery presents an exhibition of early paintings and pastels dating between 1950-1970 by the distinguished American landscape painter, Wolf Kahn. This exhibition marks the first time the gallery has been invited to delve into the artist’s archives on such a grand scale. Included will be over fifty works from this fascinating period.
Wolf Kahn’s early works reveal strong influences by artists such as Bonnard, Matisse, Monet, Soutine and Van Gogh. The artist himself often cites Hans Hofmann as his most influential mentor and teacher, incorporating many of Hofmann’s principles of chromatic tension and movement in his own painting.
The gallery has published a 32-page, full-color catalogue with an essay by John O‘Hern to accompany this exhibition. O'Hern writes, These paintings from the 50s and 60s, pivotal periods of his life in Italy and Maine, are the base for the wildly colorful paintings we admire today and in their (for the most part) monochromatic essence, unmistakably brim with the energy of the man who said 'Color that has been used successfully does not draw attention to itself. It makes you discover.'