Another "Impossible Art Painting" by Francis J. Quirk Comes To Light.

Through Pennsylvania friends of Francis Quirk, we have obtained another image of a Quirk painting for the exhibition discussed in an earlier (September 19, 2016 post.) 

Clutch Plate Painting in Frame by Francis Quirk 

Clutch Plate Painting by Francis Quirk

Quirk Participates in "Impossible Art" Exhibit in 1970 with Avinash Chandra, Lenore Laine, Sybil Wilson, and Anthony Tortona- Including Quirk's Paintings

Francis Quirk did travel in some impressive circles.  In the February 13 1970 issue of Lafayette, the College's student paper an art exhibition/opening is mentioned in the Happenings section. As we began to research the artists Quirk brought to Lehigh in this exhibition, we became increasingly impressed with their collective vibrancy.

The "Impossible Art" exhibition at Lehigh University would include works by Avinash Chandra, Francis J. Quirk , Lorna Laine, Sybil Wilson and Anthony Tortona. 




Avinash Chandra was a well known artist from India.

Avinash Chandra at his easel.

Painting by Avinash Chandra

Chandra is well profiled including a discussion of this particular work on the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts  Archive

This black and white photograph depicts Avinash Chandra at work in his studio in New York. The style of the painting in the photograph is consistent with Chandra's artistic development in the 1960's and early seventies. 

Artist Avinash Chandra was born in Simla,India,in 1931. As a child,Chandra knew he was born to paint and in 1947 he enrolled at the Delhi Polytechnic Art School. His father had wanted him to study Engineering and for six months Chandra's family were unaware he was studying art. However,excelling in his chosen field,Chandra graduated in 1951 with a first class degree. He then joined the staff,teaching fine art to undergraduates. 

Chandra's formal artistic training taught him little about Indian art and more about the 'alien' art of Europe and the west. As a young painter,he began painting landscapes which were highly acclaimed. They expressed nostalgia for the trees and landscape of the Simla hills using vibrant colours. At twenty-one years old,Chandra was the youngest artist to be granted a solo exhibition by the progressive artist's movement,the 'Delhi Silpi Chakra'. One of his first paintings,'Trees',was bought by the then newly established Museum of Modern Art in Delhi,and was awarded first prize in the First National Exhibition of Indian Art at the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1955. However,after three successful exhibitions and relative fame,Chandra grew dissatisfied and felt limited by the artistic scope in Delhi. Yearning for artistic liberation,in 1956 Chandra and his then artist wife,Prem Lata (d. 1975),left Delhi and moved to the UK,following an art scholarship awarded to Lata to study at the Central School of Art in London. 

Renting a flat in North London,Chandra made space to complete half-finished canvases he had brought from India. For two years,he worked alone,applying his early influences of Van Gogh and Soutine. He mastered the technique of oils and quietly observed the trends and themes of worldwide attitudes to art. Chandra's first exhibition in England was hosted by the Royal India,Pakistan and Ceylon Society and held at the Commonwealth Institute (then the Imperial Institute),London in 1957. The exhibition,although successful,left Chandra frustrated. He witnessed the same class of people attend his exhibition as those who had seen his work in Delhi - upper class colonial subjects with royal connections. Chandra felt far from liberated,and saw his initial arrival on the London art scene as being from one colonial environment straight into another. 

In 1959,the same exhibition toured to Belfast where Chandra lived for a period of time. Here,his landscape watercolour paintings reflected the city as he saw it,full of churches,steeple and trees. As time passed,Chandra replaced the churches in the foreground of his canvases with circular shapes he called 'heads',and moved the churches to the background of the landscape. His Belfast art was different from the work of his first exhibition in London,mainly because it became increasingly colourful. He painted his landscapes in vivacious reds and blues with strong black outlines and the finished pieces began to thrill him. 

The late 1950s was a turning point in Chandra's artistic development. It was at this time he desired to break away from what he felt were rigid teachings imposed on him in Delhi. He explored philosophy and searched for an artistic expression that was entirely his own,and not influenced by external teachings or interpretations. After a period of gestation,paintings and drawings 'began to flow like lava' from Chandra. 

It was the sale of a Chandra painting entitled 'Sun',to the famous tenor Sir Peter Pears (1919-1986) in 1960 at the Molton Gallery in London,that ignited the future value and pace of success of Avinash Chandra's work. The 1960s brought Avinash Chandra great public success and critical acclaim. Almost every national newspaper and major art magazine wrote about him. In 1961,Chandra's paintings were exposed to the European art world and were featured at various galleries around Europe. In 1962,the BBC produced a television documentary entitled 'Art of Avinash Chandra' exposing the uniqueness of his work. His paintings were showcased at solo exhibitions at the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art in Durham,and in Newcastle,York and Middlesbrough as well as in a national touring exhibition in the United States. 

In 1965,Chandra became the first Indian British artist to be featured at the Tate Gallery,London,with their purchase of 'Hills of Gold'. In London,the art community described Chandra's work as 'refreshing','optimistic' and him as 'an artist of great ability'.

During the mid 1960s,Avinash Chandra undertook several corporate art commissions for coloured glass murals and became renowned for their magnitude and vibrancy. Among Chandra's commissions were a mosaic mural for the Indian High Commission in Lagos in 1962,the Pilkington Brothers new office building in St Helens,Lancashire,and a fibre glass mural for the new Indian Tea Centre in Oxford Street,London,in 1964.

In 1967 Chandra moved to New York following an award by the Fairfield Foundation Fellowship for Travel and Study. He held several exhibitions on the East coast and was well received by the American art community. Chandra returned to London in 1973 and married actress Valerie Murray in 1977.

The so-called erotic imagery of Chandra's 1970s work has led many critics to draw a direct line between his work and Khajuraho,(the intricate sculptures of Hindu gods,girls dancing and lovers,proclaiming the most exalted experiences of men and women upon the temple walls). However,Chandra saw this connection as part of the preconceived perceptions of how India is seen by the West. 

At this time,Avinash Chandra's main theme was the female body. He began with elegant line drawings which evolved throughout the 1970s,to subtle,erotic coloured drawings. Art critic Ronald Alley said of these paintings 'In Chandra's work,sexual images play a vital role,but it is important to realise that they are almost always introduced as part of a much larger experience in a wider context...their appeal Iies in their constant blending with other poetic images: spires,trees,flowers,hills,moons and stars.' 

Avinash Chandra continued to work within this theme until the mid 1980s,when his paintings gradually returned to landscapes and nature.

Lorna Laine was described on AskARt briefly "Lenore Laine was active/lived in New York.Lenore Laine is known for geometric abstraction." However, we were able to find at least one of her paintings in a French Museum.

Lenore Laine Painting
"Cadrans bleus dans boîtes rouges"
from the Musee de L'Oise in Beauvais France.  Photo (C) RMN-Grand Palais / Thierry Ollivier

Lenore Laine Portrait

Painting by Lenore Laine

This painting was for sale on EBay. Not only does it stand out as an art work, but also it has an unusual provenance.  It was in the collection of the distinguished nuclear chemist Dr. Edward Sayre, who has made monumental contributions for over half a century in the intersecting worlds of chemistry and the humanities.  From his work on the Manhattan project through his work at the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Laboratory his contributions have been profoundly significant.  

Sybil Wilson went on to become known as a designer more than an artist. We found this bio and image on Polyvore.com

Sybil Wilson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1923. She studied at the Art Students League in New York with Ernest Fiene and, after having worked as a graphic designer in Connecticut, studied at Yale University with Josef Albers, receiving a BFA in 1954 and an MFA in 1959. Wilson also studied weaving privately with Anni Albers, and worked with her as editor on Anni Albers's 1961 book "On Designing." Wilson taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and at the University of Bridgeport, and exhibited her work in the 1960s and early-1970s. She was awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts "50 Best" award in 1960, and her work is in the collections of New York University, University of Kentucky, University of Massachusetts and University of Bridgeport. Sybil Wilson died in 1997.

Black and White ARTIST: Sybil Wilson YEAR: circa 1970 MATERIALS: Acrylic on canvas CONDITION: Very good DIMENSIONS: 35 x 45 inches.

As to Anthony Tortona, we have not been able to track down information on him or his work.


Quirk's Contribution 

At the September 2016 auction in Maine, several Quirk paintings from the exhibition came up for sale. While they are not exceptional paintings, they do illustrate his draftsmanship and willingness to pursuue a new direction for the exhibition. They also add another argument for the case for his versatility.

Francis Quirk Painting for Impossible Art Exhibition at Lehigh University

Francis Quirk Painting for Impossible Art Exhibition at Lehigh University :"Pear, Ivory, Pine"

Label for "Pear, Ivory, Pine" by Francis Quirk

Francis Quirk Painting for Impossible Art Exhibition at Lehigh University

New Francis Quirk Maritime Painting Comes to Light

Through our blog we have been contacted by the owner of a previously unknown maritime painting by Francis Quirk. The wonderful work is "Boat in an Ocean" which depicts an outboard-motor powered boat carrying two people cruising beneath a blue sky. Perhaps, they are returning from a day of fishing. The boat is riding fairly low in the water and the bow has some cargo that might be fish, shellfish or netting. 

Boat in an Ocean by Francis J. Quirk

The painting was most probably painted in coastal Maine as Quirk had a house in Saco in the Kinney Shores neighborhood on Old Orchard Beach. He greatly enjoyed depicting maritime settings. This work is a bit different stylistically from other Quirk paintings in that the sky dominates the canvas. The artist has captured the period of morning light before the sky turns pink or the sunrise. The color palate is typical of his work. 

Boat in an Ocean painting by Francis J. Quirk

The owner of the painting recently purchased it in a shop in central Pennsylvania.

Francis J. Quirk Signature on Boat in an Ocean Painting

We greatly appreciate the owner of this painting reaching out to us and providing these images. 

Animal Artwork by Francis Quirk

In our exploration of the art work of Francis Quirk, we have seen that his most popular subject is portraits; he clearly was a student of the human form. And of course he loved his marine paintings with many works featuring sailboats and coastal Maine. And he executed a few landscapes.

But there are relatively few depictions of animals as the entire subject. Of course he did include dogs in portraits including Labrador retrievers, Irish setters, poodles and dachshunds . In these paintings, the pet may have been important tot he sitter, but to Quirk they seem to be elements added for visual interest like the plants he frequently included. 

Below are the four artworks we have found that focus solely on animals. The first is a watercolor of horses moiling in a group. It has a more modern and expressive style than many of Quirk's disciplined studies. Of course the medium lends itself to a more expressive approach. It may have been executed when he was at his Arizona home.

Group of Active Horses by Francis J. Quirk

The Second work is a pastel of a dachshund that is quite well done. 

Dachshund Image by Francis Quirk 

The final works are watercolors of a draft horse and two goats. They were probably executed in Maine near Quirk's summer home in Saco. Both include a full background with traditional farm buildings. It seems that he was trying to capture more than the animal as he includes a wagon wheel and old structures in both images. These give the works an antiquated feel as if they are capturing the end of a bygone era that has now fully slipped away. 

One can imagine Quirk heading off on a summer day to paint in the sunshine.

Draft Horse Watercolor by Francis Quirk

Two Goats in Field Watercolor by Francis Quirk

Pastel Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters Found!

We have previously written several posts about Francis Quirk's portrait of Edgar Lee Masters, which now is in the collection of  the National Portrait Gallery. Quirk was friends with the author space who rented a room from Quirk while he was teaching at Ogontz College. 

Oil Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters in the National Portrait Gallery

The portrait is stunning and we had the opportunity to see it up close when we the Gallery graciously allowed us into their archives for that purpose. 

Through a Pennsylvania friend of Quirk, we have learned of a pastel study for that painting and are sharing with you the image below.  The background is a different shade, but the pose and figure are essentially the same. This pastel ultimately belongs in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery or Lehigh University.

Pastel Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters (Probably a study for the oil portrait in the National Portrait Gallery) by Francis J. Quirk

Another Quirk Maritime Painting Comes to Light

Through a friend of Francis Quirk, we obtained another image of a painting by Quirk for our image library. 

The painting below has a bit of a cubist bent and currently hangs above a doorway.  It is the first time we have seen Quirk working in the cubic style with the subject matter not being a person. The palate of cool blues, purples and green certainly works well.

Cubist Rendition of Sailboats by Francis J. Quirk

Harpo Marx and Art More About Francis Quirk's Friend

Earlier we had written a bit about Francis Quirk's friendship with Harpo Marx as the two of them often looked at art together.

After a cursory look into it, we learned that there was more to Harpo than meets the eye. Besides being a surprisingly good harp player with recorded albums, he was quite an art collector. Harpo attended Thomas Hart Benson's 1946 show and was the first to buy a painting- Spring on the Missouri. He was visiting Chicago to perform and stopped in at the opening at the Associated American Artists Gallery. The painting was completed in 1945 and depicts a recent flood. This painting now hangs in the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Spring on the Missouri by Thomas Hart Benson  North Carolina Museum of Art

Newspaper Clipping Showing Harpo Marx and Thomas Hart Benton's Painting "Spring on the Missouri"

"Spring on the Missouri hanging in Harpo Marx' home

Harpo also collected Salvador Dali who was a personal friend, George Grosz, Joseph Hirsch, LeRoy Nieman, Doris Lee, and John Decker. Joseph Hirsch spent time in Philadelphia, Provincetown and New York in periods that overlapped with Quirk so they may have known each other. 

Below is a painting of Harpo by Salvador Dali. You can learn more of the back story by visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art site. Or learn a bit about the Marx Brothers and the Surrealists by going here.

Harpo Marx by Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali with Harpo Marx

John Decker Painting of Harpo Marx as Blue Boy Which sold for $11,875 in 2013

We are reaching out to Harpo's estate to see if there was a Francis Quirk painting in his collection.

Going beyond his collecting of American Paintings, Harpo would also paint. He sold his paintings to benefit various charities. To see his paintings you can visit Harpo's Place for more information on his paintings and his musical recordings.

Addendum

Salvador Dali would actually write a screenplay for the Marx brothers, but the movie was never made. There was a graphic book produced about Giraffes on Horseback Salad.

Conversation with Friend of Francis Quirk

Recently we had the pleasure of speaking with a friend of Francis Quirk. This gentleman and his wife had taken a painting course taught by Quirk at a Pennsylvania community college. They were friends for approximately six years prior to the famous artist's death.

The threesome enjoyed many evenings together over beers. He said that Quirk was an inquisitive and curious person of good humor. He was fascinated by new technologies and what their adoption would mean for society. Quirk was down-to-earth and fun to be around.

Quirk could be stubborn and had determination. Fore example, he once had a stroke in Florida. Rather than being treated at a Florida Hospital, he drove 36 hours back to Pennsylvania for medical care.

When it came to art and drawing Quirk had amazing talent. On a cocktail napkin, he once executed a wonderful drawing of a person without lifting the pen off the paper. He also liked to experiment with different materials and techniques. For example Quirk figured out that he could get images similar to watercolors from old Flair pens that were running out of ink.

Quirk was an eloquent speaker and analyst of paintings. He could discuss the merits of a painting like a wine connoisseur evaluating a select varietal.

Flair Pens

Quirk's transportation was a Mercury Station Wagon which he purchased because it had the largest back entrance and therefore could hold the largest paintings possible.

When our contact met Quirk, his wife Anna had already passed. Apparently she spent a significant amount of time in Coastal Maine as her allergies were exacerbated by the pollen in Pennsylvania. (Note that Quirk also once had a house in Arizona as well. Perhaps the arid climate aided her condition.)

Harpo Marx Friend of Francis Quirk

Quirk also had traveled in some interesting circles.  The famous writer Edgar Lee Masters rented a room from him when Quirk was teaching at the Ogontz School. The Pulitzer Prize winning Poet Carl Sandburg also called him a friend. And perhaps most interestingly, Harpo Marx and he would frequently go and look at Art together in New York.