Sporting Art Exhibit at the Willcox Hotel

Details

Art

By Norman Fine

Heather St. Clair-Davis, On Scent, oil on canvas, 18” x 24”A selection of sporting and other contemporary equine art from the renowned Cross Gate Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky is now on exhibit at the Willcox Hotel in Aiken, South Carolina until the end of April.

This year’s exhibition features works by the late Heather St. Clair-Davis, Michael Lyne, Henry Koehler, as well as contemporaries Andre Pater, Larry Wheeler, Sandra Oppegard, Russian-born Valeriy Gridnev, and other highly regarded artists. Painting in several sporting disciplines—foxhunting, Thoroughbred racing, hunter/jumpers, coaching, and shooting—the exhibit provides a broad presentation of equine and field sport this year.

Read more ...

The Recognizable Foxhounds of John Emms

Details

Art

By Norman Fine

Foxhounds and Terrier, oil painting by John Emms

John Emms (1843–1912) is certainly one of the most admired animal painters of the nineteenth century. He was an avid foxhunter himself, and his paintings of foxhounds are easily recognizable—clearly and uniquely his work. The postures, characteristic attitudes, and expressions of Emms foxhounds, in kennels especially, confirm his hand before ever seeing a signature. I can stare from one hound to the other and the essence of his foxhounds will awaken even my olfactory senses and suggest my presence in a well-kept foxhound kennel.

Born on April 21, 1843, the son of an amateur artist in Norfolk, England, the young Emms moved to London where he apprenticed with the great academic painter, Lord Frederick Leighton. Emms very quickly developed his own distinctive style, however, and soon struck out on his own.

Read more ...

Andre Pater: An American Journey

Details

Art

By Norman Fine

Oil painting by Andre PaterThe Headley-Whitney Museum in Lexington, Kentucky will mount a retrospective exhibit of the impressive work of Andre Pater. Sixty-six equine, sporting, and recent Native American works borrowed from private collections will hang from Friday, September 13 to Sunday, November 17, 2019. The closing day will coincide with the Keeneland Sporting Art Auction in that city.

Mr. Pater will give a talk on Saturday, September 14, the first full day of the exhibition. He has been described by many as the heir to the late Sir Alfred Munning’s throne, and a glance at his racing and hunting works are convincing evidence that the comparison is valid.

Read more ...

The Recognizable Foxhounds of John Emms

Details

Art

By Norman Fine

The New Forest Foxhounds by John Emms

John Emms (1843–1912) is one of the most admired animal painters of the nineteenth century. He was an avid foxhunter himself, and his paintings of foxhounds are easily recognizable as clearly and uniquely his work. The postures, characteristic attitudes, and expressions of Emms foxhounds, in kennels especially, confirm his hand before even seeing his signature. I can stare from one hound to the other and the essence of his foxhounds will awaken even my olfactory senses and suggest my presence in a well-kept foxhound kennel.

Read more ...