Lot 165, Auction 4/12/2026: Arthur Knebel Painting – “Old Homestead”

$390.00

In stock

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). “Old Homestead” oil on canvas, n.d. Unsigned. A weathered cluster of buildings rests quietly beside still water, their reflections dissolving into a lattice of color and memory. In “Old Homestead”, Arthur Knebel presents a rural landscape that feels observed rather than recorded, shaped as much by recollection as by sight. The scene unfolds gently, with barns and sheds nestled among trees and low hills, their forms softened by time and atmosphere. Knebel constructs the composition through layered, exploratory brushwork that balances structure with fluidity. Earthy reds and browns anchor the buildings, while pale greens, blues, and violets drift across the surrounding fields and water. The reflected forms below are intentionally unstable, pulled into vertical strokes and blurred planes that echo the impermanence of the setting itself. Nothing here feels fixed. The land breathes. Size: 30″ W x 26″ H (76.2 cm x 66 cm)

Light plays a quiet but essential role, diffused across the surface rather than sourced from a single direction. This subtle illumination flattens and deepens the space simultaneously, a quality that recalls Knebel’s photographic sensitivity to tonal control. Forms emerge gradually, as if discovered through looking rather than declared outright, inviting the viewer to linger and adjust their focus. The painting reveals Knebel’s ongoing dialogue between realism and abstraction. Architectural details are suggested, not insisted upon, allowing color relationships and rhythm to carry the emotional weight. The homestead becomes less a specific place than a meditation on endurance, familiarity, and the slow erosion of human presence within the landscape. “Old Homestead” stands as a quietly lyrical work, where memory and observation meet in balanced harmony. It offers a moment of pause, an invitation to step into a landscape shaped by time, restraint, and a deeply personal sense of looking.

About the artist: Arthur Henry Knebel Jr. was a gifted painter, photographer, and professional violist whose life intertwined the disciplines of sound, color, and light. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1925 to Arthur Henry Knebel and Margie Shafer Knebel, he grew up in a household steeped in the arts. His mother, a lecturer on modern art in the 1940s, and his father, a drafting artist, instilled in him both technical discipline and creative curiosity.

Before devoting himself fully to painting in 1986, Knebel enjoyed a distinguished musical career spanning more than four decades. He performed as a violist with the Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Denver Symphony orchestras, among others. After joining the Denver Musicians Association in 1964, he later taught at Metropolitan State College from 1987 to 1988.

Knebel’s visual art reflects his mid-century sensibilities and a deep engagement with color, light, and design. A perfectionist by nature, he sought balance between realism and abstraction, frequently reworking his canvases to achieve ideal tonal harmony. His paintings often show the influence of photography – an art form he practiced with precision, developing his own prints and manipulating negatives to control the distribution of light. When painting, he sometimes used an orbital sander on the dried surface to refine texture and form.

Arthur’s work was poetic both in mood and method. His subjects were often figurative, imbued with a quiet lyricism that mirrored his musical compositions. His poem “Shadow” encapsulates his introspective spirit:

“My shadow is the prisoner of the sun / Xeroxed days stapled on the wall / Taller than you, smaller than me / The tricks that run this show / Are wound up like a clock / Stretched like a lie / Sent like an errand in search of a meaning / Clenched like a fist at night / My shadow.”

Though deeply private, Knebel exhibited occasionally, including at the Denver Art Museum and the Koelbel Library’s Joan R. Duncan Gallery in Centennial, Colorado, in 2008, where he and his wife, pianist Susan Cowan Knebel, provided live music during the show. Their marriage, beginning the day after Thanksgiving in 1986, united two artists in a lifelong devotion to music and art.

Arthur Knebel passed away in 2013 at the Denver Hospice Care Center. His legacy endures through his paintings, which continue to find new homes through the ongoing efforts of his estate. Donations in his memory support music education for children through the Colorado Youth Symphony, a fitting tribute to a man whose life harmonized artistry in every form.

Condition: Painting is in excellent overall condition.

Provenance: private Shawnee, Colorado, USA collection

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