Art On Main presents the oil
paintings of Sheffield, Massachusetts artist Ruth Kolbert beginning June 29 until August 29 with a reception for
the artist on Saturday, July 13, 2013 from 5 to 7 pm.
Kolbert was born in Czechoslovakia
and studied with Oscar Kokoschka in Salzburg, Austria who was deeply rooted in
Expressionism and, in the US with abstract painters Nicolas Carone and Charles
Cajori both known for their exploration of color as well as strong movement in
painting. Though her unique individual
style is anchored in portraiture, the influence of these artists is evident in
the energy and strong presence of her subjects on the canvas.
After a long career in publishing
and graphic design with such notable companies as Random House, Crown, and as
Art Director at Scribner’s, Kolbert continued to paint but made the move to the
Berkshires where she met other artists, musicians and writers. She chose to make these friends the subjects
of her paintings inviting them to sit for her and has continued to do so for
the last 23 years. Often these paintings
are life-size or larger and reveal the relationship of her subjects to their
environment which provides a wider context for deeper understanding of the
people we are viewing.
The exhibit also includes
portraits of Berkshire farm structures, a subject Kolbert has developed a close
tie to as an active member of the Sheffield Land Trust. Barns as well as the surrounding land and its
conservation, are vehicles for compositions that echo her desire to preserve
the landscape in art and in life.
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