Description:

Simon Gunning (American/Louisiana, b. 1956) , "Black Water #3", 2005, oil on canvas, signed lower right, titled and dated en verso, "Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans" label with artist, title and date on reverse of frame, 40 in. x 30 in., framed Provenance: Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, LA. Exh.: "Simon Gunning Drawings and Paintings From the Gulf", Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, LA, Mar. 4 - Apr. 22, 2006. Note: Simon Gunning has been painting Louisiana scenes since he moved to the state in the early 1980s. While fascinated by the scenery in general, it is the element of water in particular that most holds his interest. In his native Australia he often admired his country’s own traditional landscape painters, and his compositions, style, and overall execution have often been compared to the great European romantic artists. However, Gunning always chooses the objectively unromantic view, focusing less on nature’s untouched beauty in favor of the manmade additions to the scenery and finding the beauty in the contrast. His naturalistic landscapes are peppered with broken down ships, abandoned buildings, rusted metal bridges and workboats – the use and decay of an industrial society. In a way, he is creating a dialogue exploring the modern day rarity of the beautiful and raw landscapes that were so celebrated by artists working in the romantic tradition such as those of the Hudson River School. In contemporary Louisiana, the occurrence of an untouched and untainted landscape is virtually nonexistent. There is, though, a new type of Romanticism featured in Gunning’s decay and the mystery and wonder provoked by the industrial ruins that pervade these works. In the painting offered here, a wrecked boat is juxtaposed against a functioning one, both entangled in the dark swamp. The presence of human activity is denoted by two figures fishing on the waterline. The painting expertly investigates the concept of destruction and rejuvenation and can be interpreted as a modern take on the age-old depiction of the cycles of life and death – the shrimp boats that bring food for the community are destined to one day be someone else’s old ruins and fishing haunts. This painting was done in 2005, not long before Hurricane Katrina, which adds a certain prophetic quality that drives home Gunning’s point. In discussing Gunning’s works, critic Doug McCash confidently states that they are “…the best depictions of Louisiana’s watery coastal landscape ever made — ever. Better than Meeker, Clague, Buck, Heldner, Coulon, Millet or anyone else who ever tried to capture that impenetrable muddy water and endless vista on canvas.” Ref.: Calas, Terrington. “Gunning’s Balancing Act.” The New Orleans Art Review. Spring/Summer (2006). McCash, Doug. “Top Gunning.” The Times-Picayune. Mar. 17, 2006. www.nola.com. Accessed Oct. 12, 2021.

  • Condition: Condition is NOT stated in the description of the lot. The absence of a condition report does not indicate the lot is free of damage or condition issues. Available Condition Reports will appear as an additional image. Condition Reports and photographs may be requested on items until the Wednesday prior to the auction. Bid accordingly. All sales are final, no returns are accepted on the basis of condition.

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November 20, 2021 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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