At the upcoming September auction of Francis Quirk paintings there will also be drawings and watercolors by this gifted and multifaceted artist. One of the most interesting surprises was how much he worked in watercolors. We knew of his use of pastels and oil, but the number and quality of the watercolors was surprising. We have excerpted three images below.
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| Untitled watercolor by Francis J. Quirk |
Watercolor is a tricky medium to work in because the artist needs to plan ahead and not paint in the white areas. Quirk's watercolors contain a surprisingly large amount of detail and artistry in what can be a medium for sketching and quick work. Below is an interesting scene of a rescue of a foundering ship. One can see the canon for shooting the line, the lifeboat rowing out and the crowd watching the scene. It is a quintessential coastal painting with drama and activity. The multitude of active figures is not highly common in Quirk's works.
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| Untitled Watercolor by Francis J. Quirk Scene of Shoreline Rescue of Foundering Ship |
The painting below illustrates Quirk's ability to capture fine detail and work with precision in watercolor. The untitled work appears to be a wharf building of coastal Maine. It reminds one of the work of the Precisionists and Charles Sheeler in particular. Like many of Sheeler's paintings, this one contains no figures allowing the buildings to starkly dominate the image.
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| Untitled watercolor by Francis Quirk |
Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) was an American painter known for his paintings of industrial and rural buildings.
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| Charles Sheeler |
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| Fugue by Charles Sheeler 1940 Museum of Fine Arts Boston |
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