Night Snow
Artist
Robert J. Wilbert
(American, 1929-2016)
Date1960
MediumWatercolor
DimensionsFrame Size: 35 × 27 in. (88.9 × 68.6 cm)
Image Size: 27 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (70.5 × 50.2 cm)
ClassificationsDrawing
Credit LineGift of Don and Chris Diehl, 2017
Object numberUAC6578
DescriptionRobert Wilbert was an American contemporary painter known for his portraits and still lives. He was born in Chicago in 1929 and eventually moved to Detroit. Wilbert taught painting at Wayne State University for 38 years and was one of the influential artists who was part of Detroit’s Cass Corridor movement. His work has been displayed nationally and is part of the permanent collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Wilbert passed away in 2016, but he will forever be remembered for his influence in the Detroit art community.Wilbert’s 1960 watercolor painting Night Snow is currently featured in Confluent: Detroit Art and the University Art Collection at the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery. The work displays snow covered trees along with a red bridge. He juxtaposes the white snow with shades of green and teal for the trees and red for the bridge. Wilbert employs loose, expressive brushstrokes to create fluffy, cloud-like snow. While this is a recognizable winter scene, his lively brushstrokes give the painting an element of abstraction. To add, Night Snow appears to be Wilbert’s twentieth-century rendition of Impressionist painting. Based in Paris, the Impressionists were known for capturing fleeting moments in leisure time. The trees and the bridge will look slightly different as the snow covers them in real time. While observing this work, one might envision Wilbert sitting on a tree stump, capturing the fleeting scene that lay before him in watercolor.
Written by Angela Athnasios
Source: https://www.askart.com/artist/Robert_John_Wilbert/106159/Robert_John_Wilbert.aspx
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