Lot 269, Auction 4/20/2026: Arthur Knebel Painting – Family Gathering

$520.00

In stock

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). Family Gathering. Oil on canvas, n.d. Unsigned. Rendered in thick, expressive impasto, this intimate composition by Arthur Knebel captures a seated family group, their forms distilled through the artist’s signature blend of figuration and abstraction. The figures – father, mother, and child – are built from interlocking planes of color, their postures relaxed yet composed, as if caught in a moment of quiet domestic pause. The palette, rich in earthy reds, ochres, and deep ceruleans, hums with the warmth of human presence filtered through a modernist lens. Knebel, who came of age in the mid-century American art scene, absorbed the influence of European modernism while maintaining a distinctly humanist focus in his work. In this painting, the tactile layering of pigment lends the figures a sculptural weight, while the surrounding space dissolves into painterly rhythm. The brushwork conveys both emotion and architecture – a psychological rendering of familial closeness shaped by light and texture. Size: 24″ W x 30″ H (61 cm x 76.2 cm)

Like much of Knebel’s oeuvre, this work reflects his sensitivity to the quiet poetry of everyday life. Beneath its vigorous surface lies a deep empathy for his subjects, characteristic of an artist who saw painting not only as formal exploration but as an act of observation, connection, and care.

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: Unsigned. Expected age wear to canvas with some surface grime as shown. Otherwise, in very good overall condition with clear imagery.

Provenance: private Shawnee, Colorado, USA collection

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