Lot - Arthur Knebel Painting - "Orchids Outside" (2007)

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). "Orchids Outside" oil on Masonite, 2007. Signed and dated at lower right. A moment of fragile beauty unfolds against a quietly brooding ground in "Orchids Outside", a late painting that captures Arthur Knebel at his most contemplative. Pale blossoms emerge along slender branches, their soft petals hovering in front of a dark fence and the muted geometry of rooftops beyond. The scene feels observed rather than arranged, as if caught in passing, where the natural world briefly interrupts the built environment. Knebel balances realism and abstraction with practiced restraint. The orchids are rendered with tactile sensitivity, their pale pinks and whites gently lifting from a field of deep maroons, umbers, and shadowed blues. Behind them, the fence dissolves into layered veils of color, while the houses beyond are reduced to simplified planes, their roofs glowing faintly beneath a cool, unsettled sky. Size: 30" W x 24" H (76.2 cm x 61 cm)

Light is carefully rationed across the surface, creating a visual rhythm that feels composed rather than incidental. The influence of Knebel's photographic eye is evident in the cropping and tonal control, while the surface itself shows signs of revision and refinement. Passages of paint appear worked back and softened, suggesting his methodical pursuit of harmony and balance. Oil on Masonite lends the painting a dense, intimate presence, allowing both opacity and abrasion to coexist within the same field.

Despite its modest subject, the painting carries a quiet emotional weight. The orchids seem both resilient and fleeting, suspended between interior shelter and the open air. In this tension between containment and exposure, Knebel finds a lyrical stillness, one that echoes his lifelong sensitivity to rhythm, structure, and the subtle movement of light across time.

About the artist: Arthur Henry Knebel Jr. was a gifted painter, photographer, and professional violist whose life intertwined the disciplines of sound, color, and light. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1925 to Arthur Henry Knebel and Margie Shafer Knebel, he grew up in a household steeped in the arts. His mother, a lecturer on modern art in the 1940s, and his father, a drafting artist, instilled in him both technical discipline and creative curiosity.

Before devoting himself fully to painting in 1986, Knebel enjoyed a distinguished musical career spanning more than four decades. He performed as a violist with the Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Denver Symphony orchestras, among others. After joining the Denver Musicians Association in 1964, he later taught at Metropolitan State College from 1987 to 1988.

Knebel's visual art reflects his mid-century sensibilities and a deep engagement with color, light, and design. A perfectionist by nature, he sought balance between realism and abstraction, frequently reworking his canvases to achieve ideal tonal harmony. His paintings often show the influence of photography - an art form he practiced with precision, developing his own prints and manipulating negatives to control the distribution of light. When painting, he sometimes used an orbital sander on the dried surface to refine texture and form.

Arthur's work was poetic both in mood and method. His subjects were often figurative, imbued with a quiet lyricism that mirrored his musical compositions. His poem "Shadow" encapsulates his introspective spirit:

"My shadow is the prisoner of the sun / Xeroxed days stapled on the wall / Taller than you, smaller than me / The tricks that run this show / Are wound up like a clock / Stretched like a lie / Sent like an errand in search of a meaning / Clenched like a fist at night / My shadow."

Though deeply private, Knebel exhibited occasionally, including at the Denver Art Museum and the Koelbel Library's Joan R. Duncan Gallery in Centennial, Colorado, in 2008, where he and his wife, pianist Susan Cowan Knebel, provided live music during the show. Their marriage, beginning the day after Thanksgiving in 1986, united two artists in a lifelong devotion to music and art.

Arthur Knebel passed away in 2013 at the Denver Hospice Care Center. His legacy endures through his paintings, which continue to find new homes through the ongoing efforts of his estate. Donations in his memory support music education for children through the Colorado Youth Symphony, a fitting tribute to a man whose life harmonized artistry in every form.

Provenance: private Shawnee, Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 198973

Condition: Excellent. Painting in excellent overall condition. Signed and dated at lower right.

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Lot 18

Arthur Knebel Painting - "Orchids Outside" (2007)

Arthur Knebel Painting - "Orchids Outside" (2007)

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