Still Life after van Huysum by Dr. G.M. Durst

This beautiful artwork after Jan van Huysum’s “Still Life of Flowers and Fruit” done in 1722 was part of an exhibition, “Past Perfect:... more

by Michael Durst

Original - Not For Sale

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

33.000 x 47.000 x 1.000 inches

Title

Still Life after van Huysum by Dr. G.M. Durst

Artist

Michael Durst

Medium

Mixed Media - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

This beautiful artwork after Jan van Huysum’s “Still Life of Flowers and Fruit” done in 1722 was part of an exhibition, “Past Perfect: Masterpiece Art through the Ages,” at the Winchester Mansions in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. The artist has done many recreations of Old Masters, including Kalf, Renoir, Monet, van Gogh, Rembrandt and Vermeer. If you have a favorite painting you love, contact the artist from this site.

The most successful flower painter in history, Jan van Huysum, was notoriously secretive. Unwilling to let others know how he was able to achieve the high degree of realism with which he rendered the minute details of individual petals, drops of water, and tiny insects, he took on no students and restricted access to his studio.

The spectacular painting, “Still Life of Flowers and Fruit” epitomizes Van Huysum's imaginative floral arrangements, lively effects of light and dark, and rich opulence of handling. His contemporaries never learned how he created the highly finished, enameled surfaces that distinguish his luscious still lifes. No other artist matched his technical virtuosity nor his ability to create luxuriant arrangements of fruit and flowers. Van Huysum’s work was enormously popular with connoisseurs and collectors in his day, and it is said that he was the most highly paid Dutch artist of all time.

The exhibition featured renditions of famous paintings that have been brought to life by glazing techniques with multiple layers of paint and varnish to give the works thick texture and a luminosity which creates an even more perfect vision than is even possible for the original artwork which has born the effects of time.

Dr. Michael Durst re-creates vibrant Old Masters artwork by combing his mastery of transparent colours with his passion for the richness of texture and light. Light, after all, plays a vital role in the overall viewer experience of a painting. The way the light falls across a composition helps lead the viewer’s eye to specific points in the painting. Because of atmospheric dirt and smoke, the subtleties of light and colour are often diminished on paintings that are over 100 years old.

Using the glazing technique for colour and texture, a glowing, translucence seems to emanate from within the painting itself. By layering transparent colours, instead of just mixing thick opaque colours, he is able to achieve more exciting true-to-life results.

When applying this technique to the Old Masters, Dr. Durst is able to create:

• A depth and complexity of color not achievable with any other method,

• An unlimited range of textures bringing out the intricacies of the brush strokes of the original artist, and

• A range of luminous shadows and dramatic lighting effects.

By building glaze upon glaze, he is able create magnificent recreations of the Old Master paintings, as they must have looked after the artist completed the piece, rather than viewing the work through the dulling effect of centuries.

Thus, he is able to capture the magic, as no other technique could, in order to do justice to the brilliance and skill of the original artist by capturing the essence of the moment of its conception. That is why the term “Past Perfect” is used to describe this process.

Prints of this work are available through Fine Art America, Fine Art England and Fine Art Germany. They can be on canvas, metal acrylic, framed, gallery wrapped and even available as fine art greeting cards, throw pillows, etc.

To purchase a signed and hand-embossed Masterpiece Edition of “Still Life of Flowers and Fruit”, contact the artist directly from this site. Each one is hand glazed with many layers of acrylic paint and varnish to really bring out the beautiful colors and create a three dimensional effect. Thus, each Masterpiece Edition is a unique work of art will become the cornerstone of one’s art collection.

Copyright Notice: All images are fully protected by U.S. and international copyright laws, all rights reserved.

Uploaded

March 29th, 2018