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Karl Schrag - The Rhythms of Nature, a Centennial Celebration - Exhibitions - Alexandre Gallery

Karl Schrag
The Rhythms of Nature, A Centennial Celebration
September 6th through October 12th, 2012
Reception for the artist Saturday, September 15th from 1 – 3 pm

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karl Schrag (1912 – 1995), Kraushaar Galleries, in collaboration with Alexandre Gallery, will open the fall season with Karl Schrag, The Rhythms of Nature, A Centennial Celebration. The joint exhibition will feature 20 paintings covering a quarter century of work. Many of the works come directly from the artist’s family and have not previously been exhibited.

Most of the paintings explore the Maine landscape that inspired Karl Schrag for fifty years. He finds the mysteries of land and sea and captures them in a fusion of realism and abstraction that forever changes the way we see our world. The glow of the sun, the shimmer of the moon, the motion of the grasses, the power of the rocky shore, the many mysteries of the bushes and trees are all captured in the vigorous brushstrokes and vibrant colors of the paintings. “My strong desire to express from sunlit serenity to the darkest moods has its roots in a constant awareness of myself being a part of the nature and life which I observe. With every breath I take, with every heartbeat I feel within myself the rhythms of nature” the artist wrote on the occasion of his 1992 traveling retrospective organized by the Farnsworth Museum of Art, Rockland, Maine.

Schrag was born in Germany; after study in Paris and Brussels he came to New York in 1930. He worked with S. W. Hayter at and became director of his international print studio, Atelier 17. He taught at Brooklyn College and Cooper Union. Since 1938 Schrag’s work has been the subject of over 40 one-person exhibitions.

A concurrent exhibition, Memories and Premonitions: A Karl Schrag Retrospective, which will focus on Schrag’s print work, will be held at Syracuse University Art Galleries, Syracuse, New York, from August 30th – October 21st.

Installations

Installations Thumbnails
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls, and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag" on the wall in the center
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging over a table
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging on a wall to the right and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag" on the wall to the left
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with one framed painting hanging on a white wall and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag: The Rhythms of Nature, A Centennial Celebration" on the upper left
Karl Schrag
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with three framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with three framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls, and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag" on the wall in the center
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging over a table
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging on a wall to the right and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag" on the wall to the left
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with one framed painting hanging on a white wall and wall text that reads "Karl Schrag: The Rhythms of Nature, A Centennial Celebration" on the upper left
Karl Schrag
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with three framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition, with one framed painting hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with three framed paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with two framed paintings hanging on a white wall

Selected Works

Selected Works Thumbnails
Painting of a seascape with blue mountains in the background and rocks emerging from the water and a yellow sky overhead

Sea and Camden Hills, 1977, oil on canvas, 23 x 27 inches

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Painting of a paint palette set on a small green table in a barn-like interior, with a large open door looking at a view of a yellow building and green landscape

View from the Studio (Green Table with Palette), c. 1985, oil on canvas, 34 x 26 inches

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Painting of a forest landscape created by gestural strokes of white, black, blue, orange, and yellow paint

White Forest, 1963, oil on masonite, 24 x 40 inches

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Painting of a trees in a bright landscape created by gestural strokes of red, yellow, orange, blue, green and white paint

The Glade - Day, 1970, oil on canvas, 20 x 36 inches

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Painting of trees in a bright landscape created by gestural strokes of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple paint

Pines and Rocks in Evening Light, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 36 x 34 inches

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Painting of a blue vase of red, white and pink flowers set against a background of gestural yellow, pink and blue swaths of paint

Anemones, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 21 x 34 inches

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Painting of trees in a nocturnal landscape created by gestural strokes of blue, green, brown and orange paint

Tree in Flowing Moonlight, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 38 x 48 inches

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Painting of a copse of trees in a landscape, created by gestural strokes of orange, green, blue, red and yellow paint

Late Afternoon: Apple Trees and Clouds, 1980, oil on canvas, 26 x 32 inches

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Painting of a nocturnal forest landscape created by gestural strokes of black, blue, red, yellow, green and white paint

Evening Woods, 1980, oil on canvas, 36 x 32 inches

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Painting of a nocturnal forest landscape with a full moon overhead, created by gestural strokes of blue, red, pink, green, yellow, and orange paint

Full Moon and Silence, 1980, oil on canvas, 32 x 36 inches

Inquire
Painting of a seascape with blue mountains in the background and rocks emerging from the water and a yellow sky overhead

Sea and Camden Hills, 1977, oil on canvas, 23 x 27 inches

Painting of a paint palette set on a small green table in a barn-like interior, with a large open door looking at a view of a yellow building and green landscape

View from the Studio (Green Table with Palette), c. 1985, oil on canvas, 34 x 26 inches

Painting of a forest landscape created by gestural strokes of white, black, blue, orange, and yellow paint

White Forest, 1963, oil on masonite, 24 x 40 inches

Painting of a trees in a bright landscape created by gestural strokes of red, yellow, orange, blue, green and white paint

The Glade - Day, 1970, oil on canvas, 20 x 36 inches

Painting of trees in a bright landscape created by gestural strokes of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple paint

Pines and Rocks in Evening Light, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 36 x 34 inches

Painting of a blue vase of red, white and pink flowers set against a background of gestural yellow, pink and blue swaths of paint

Anemones, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 21 x 34 inches

Painting of trees in a nocturnal landscape created by gestural strokes of blue, green, brown and orange paint

Tree in Flowing Moonlight, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 38 x 48 inches

Painting of a copse of trees in a landscape, created by gestural strokes of orange, green, blue, red and yellow paint

Late Afternoon: Apple Trees and Clouds, 1980, oil on canvas, 26 x 32 inches

Painting of a nocturnal forest landscape created by gestural strokes of black, blue, red, yellow, green and white paint

Evening Woods, 1980, oil on canvas, 36 x 32 inches

Painting of a nocturnal forest landscape with a full moon overhead, created by gestural strokes of blue, red, pink, green, yellow, and orange paint

Full Moon and Silence, 1980, oil on canvas, 32 x 36 inches