FRANCIS CRISS

 

FRANCIS CRISS

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Feature ART of Architecture -by Gautam Shah

Francis Criss, (1901-1973) was born in London, but based in America. He was a Precisionist painter, known for colourful portrayals of Manhattan urban scenes. Precisionism was a style of painting emerging after WW-I, strongly affected by Cubism, Purism, and Futurism. Precisionist artists (often called Immaculates), reduced the subjects to their essential geometric machine shapes, used fewer details, monotone colours and stiff forms as highlighted by crisp light and absence of human forms.

Criss said, ‘I attempt to capture the layers and depth of the city’s environment, not paint it brick by brick’. Lewis Mumford, compared Criss's oeuvre with that of Sheeler in terms of its dry accuracy, although he declared that it operated on a higher imaginative level.

Francis Criss painted surreal urban scapes with distorted perspectives and crude juxtaposition and odd contrasts. This was a post-war period, with new-age structures of bridges, elevated subway tracks, skyscrapers, factories. Yet. It was time of severe Economic. Social and Political depression.

Francis Criss was compared with Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) and Ralston Crawford (1906-1978). Criss experimented with many different styles including, pointillism, cubism, realism, with art-form such as, portraits, collages from old photographs, commercial art and large format murals. 

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GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER

 

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER

Post -350 -by Gautam Shah

Sunday Feature on ART of Architecture

George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931) was a Scottish painter. He was, one the four highly regarded Scottish Colourists-painters. Hunter, began to visit Fife frequently in various seasons, with interim visits to France, Italy.

Hunter, was devoted to his art, forgetting his other appointments. He carried small canvas or board, and produced quick colour sketches plein air. In 1920s, he worked with etching and dry-point, of cottages and landscapes around Ceres. He painted a several still-lifes, landscapes and portraits. The paintings reflect the ‘essence of nature through pure colours and effects of light. He worked pen-ink, water colours and oil paints. He often painted the same objects or locations under different lighting conditions.

   “Seek harmony not contrast. Go from light to dark, not from dark to light. Your work is never light enough. The eye seeks refreshment in painting. Give it joy not mourning. Give everything a distinct outline. Avoid over finish -an impression is not so robust but that its first inspiration will be lost if we try to strengthen everything with detail”. 

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EDVARD WEIE

 

EDVARD WEIE

EDVARD WEIE

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Sunday Feature on ART of Architecture -Gautam Shah

Edvard Weie (1879-1943) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is now regarded as one of the most important colorists of the Danish modernism. He was also inspired by the works of great historical painters. He began with a naturalistic manner, but soon embraced the modernist approach, with emphasis on colours of warm palette and play between light and shadow. He initially worked with ‘subject matter from mythological and literary sources while also working with figure compositions springing entirely from his own imagination’.

Weie was strongly influenced by the visit to Italy and Paris, where he came into contact with French impressionists such as, Cézanne. After returning to Denmark in 1912, he spent a period on the small island of Christiansø near Bornholm. He was one of the earliest participants in the Bornholm school of painters. These artists, each developed an individualistic style, full of experimentation.

 

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