Lot 166, Auction 4/12/2026: Arthur Knebel Painting – Woman Reading

$390.00

In stock

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). Woman Reading. Oil on canvas, n.d. Unsigned. A quiet interior unfolds with the calm assurance of a practiced observer. In this intimate oil on canvas, Arthur Knebel presents a seated woman absorbed in her book, her posture relaxed yet inwardly focused, as if time has slowed to accommodate the private rhythm of reading. Light drifts in from a nearby window, brushing her face and hands, dissolving edges and softening the room into a hushed field of color and tone. Knebel balances realism with abstraction through layered brushwork that feels both deliberate and gently reworked. Cool blues, muted greens, and warm earth tones interlock across the surface, creating a subtle vibration that suggests thought rather than action. The woman’s raised hand, poised mid-gesture, introduces a sense of suspended movement, while the book anchors the composition as an object of quiet gravity. Size: 24″ W x 30″ H (61 cm x 76.2 cm)

The painting reflects Knebel’s sensitivity to light and structure, shaped by his deep engagement with photography and an almost musical sense of harmony. Forms emerge and recede like sustained notes, with texture carefully modulated to guide the eye without insisting upon it. Nothing here is hurried. The scene breathes. Unofficially titled “Woman Reading”, the work exemplifies Knebel’s gift for transforming ordinary moments into contemplative spaces. It is a portrait not just of a figure, but of attention itself, rendered with restraint, warmth, and an enduring sense of inward calm.

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: Some light wear to edges of canvas; none of which affect painting. Otherwise, painting is in excellent overall condition.

Provenance: private Shawnee, Colorado, USA collection

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