Lot 249, Auction 4/3/2026: Arthur Knebel Painting – “Daffodils in Vase” (1987)

$520.00

In stock

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). “Daffodils in Vase” oil on canvas, 1987. Signed and dated at lower right. A quietly luminous composition, “Daffodils in Vase” captures Arthur Knebel’s enduring fascination with the interplay of light, reflection, and emotional stillness. The painting presents a woman seated at a polished wooden table, her calm presence mirrored in the sheen of its surface. A simple glass vase of yellow daffodils commands the center, their vivid blooms standing in contrast to the subdued palette of interior browns and greens. Behind her, a deck and garden glow faintly with natural light, suggesting a moment of domestic peace suspended between realism and introspection. Knebel’s training as both painter and musician is evident in the composition’s measured rhythm. Each element – the curve of the vase, the reflection of light on wood, the quiet geometry of the table – feels orchestrated with a musician’s sensitivity to tone and harmony. Size: 24″ W x 36″ H (61 cm x 91.4 cm)

His background in photography, which informed much of his approach to painting, can be felt in the layered handling of luminosity and shadow.

Painted in 1987, after Knebel had turned to painting full-time, this work reflects the mature phase of his artistic vision. The surface reveals subtle reworking – a hallmark of his perfectionist temperament – as he sought balance between representation and abstraction. The result is a serene, introspective portrait that speaks equally of visual harmony and emotional restraint, embodying the painter’s lifelong search for beauty within the everyday.

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. Signed and dated at lower right.

Provenance: private Shawnee, Colorado, USA collection

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