Welcome to the William A. Karges Fine Art Blog

Welcome to the William A. Karges Fine Art Blog, where you'll be able to learn about Early California and Southwest Paintings and discover information about Museum Exhibitions, Current News, Events, and our gallery's new acquisitions of original paintings created between 1870 and 1940 by a wide variety of artists. We'll feature biographies, photographs, links to websites of interest to collectors, video tours, and detailed histories of some of California's most influential and intriguing artists. Visit our Gallery at Dolores & Sixth Ave in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California to view our collection of fine paintings in person.

Friday, July 10, 2015

ARMIN CARL HANSEN
"MARINE PAINTER OF MONTEREY"
William A. Karges Fine Art

Born in San Francisco in 1886, the well-traveled painter and etcher Armin Hansen was less worldly than an explorer of life at sea, both on deck and even more so in capturing the spirit of marine life on canvas.

Armin Hansen
"Fishing Boats"
10 x 14 inches
SOLD

His father Herman Wendleborg Hansen was a distinguished American Western artist himself who provided him with early instruction. Continuing his studies as a formal painter at what would become the San Francisco Art Institute (then the Hopkins Institute of Art) under Arthur Mathews, Armin went on to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under Carlos Grethe after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed much of his home city. 


Remaining abroad after finishing, Hansen’s attraction to marine life led him to Niewpoort, Belgium, and from there on board as a deckhand on Norwegian fishing trawlers and other commercial vessels.

Armin Hansen
"Stormy Sea"
25 x 28 inches
SOLD

He eventually returned to California and settled in Monterey in 1913. There, eschewing at once the more conservative impressionistic tradition and the modernist trends of his day, Hansen went on to fashion a robust style featuring stoic figures enduring the throng of chaotic seascapes, realized in deep, saturated primary colors and bold angular brushstrokes. 


Armin Hansen
"Aground"
12 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches
SOLD

Although throughout his career his subject matter ranged from oils and etchings of aquarium-like still lifes to landscapes and frenetic rodeo scenes, he is most known for his depictions of Portuguese, Japanese, Sicilian fishermen and boats painted in Monterey, which evince the rugged endurance of men amongst tidal forces and sealed his legacy as one of California’s most important artists of his time.

Armin Hansen
"Cosimo and Pals"
10 x 12 inches
SOLD


Elected to the National Academy of Design in 1926, Hansen moved in circles including the Carmel Art Association, the Monterey School, and the Society of Six. He was one of the best teachers of his day, and taught both C.S. Price and August Francois Gay. He exhibited at the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair Panama-Pacific International Exposition. While his subject matter took up where art and literature of the preceding century left off, his singular style captured what it was to endure shifting and elemental forces in America and heavily influenced the techniques of the modernist generation that studied under him.


For additional information about this important artist, visit the Crocker Art Museum June 6th through October 11th, 2015 to see the comprehensive exhibit, "Armin Hansen: The Artful Voyage".  This extraordinary collection of nearly 100 paintings was organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and curated by Scott A. Shields, Associate Director and Chief Curator at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.  The collection includes a wide variety of subjects and styles, as well as paintings that have never been seen before by the public.  Call (916) 808-7000 for additional information.

The show will open at the Monterey Museum of Art October 29th, 2015 and continues through March 7th, 2016.  Call (831) 372-5477 for additional information.

Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to learn more about this unique, exceptionally talented and influential Early California artist.





Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Irvine Museum "Sunlight and Shadow - The Tradition of Plein Air Painting"

If you're a fan of Early California Art, don't miss seeing "Sunlight and Shadow - The Tradition of Plein Air Painting" at The Irvine Museum, through September 24th, 2015. 

The exhibit features paintings by notable Early California Impressionists including Guy Rose and Alfred Mitchell, as well as works by contemporary Plein Air painters who carry on this tradition. Karges Fine Art is proud to be the exclusive representative of Dennis Doheny, whose work is included in this outstanding Exhibition.




Dennis Doheny "Early Light"
Oil on linen, 20 x 24 inches



For more information about the history of Plein Air painting in America, The Traditional Fine Art Organization website includes a series of interesting essays and articles in their extensive Resource Library.  These can be viewed at www.tfaoi.com.

The Irvine Museum offers weekly scheduled docent tours, including guided walks featuring works in their impressive permanent collection of Early California Art. Contact the museum directly to inquire about times by emailing info@irvinemuseum.org or call (949) 476-0294 for more information.


To view additional available works by traditional Early California artists, as well as new paintings by Dennis Doheny, please visit www.kargesfineart.com.