Lot - Arthur Knebel Painting

Arthur Knebel (American, 1925-2013). Morning Coffee. Oil on canvas, n.d. Signed with incomplete date at lower right. A quiet moment unfolds in layered color and softened light as a seated figure pauses mid-thought, a cup of coffee held loosely in hand. The scene feels suspended between wakefulness and reflection, where morning is less a time of day than a state of mind. Knebel composes the figure within an intimate interior, anchoring her in a deep armchair set against bookshelves and a softly glowing window. The posture is relaxed yet inwardly focused - legs crossed, one hand lifted to the face, the other cradling the cup. Her gaze drifts outward, unfixed, suggesting contemplation rather than narrative. The domestic setting functions as atmosphere rather than description, its forms dissolving into planes of color and texture. The palette is restrained but expressive, built from cool blues, muted greens, and earthen reds that bleed gently into one another. Size: 30" W x 30" H (76.2 cm x 76.2 cm)

Knebel balances realism with abstraction through visible brushwork and softened edges, allowing structure to emerge gradually from layered paint. Light filters through the composition unevenly, illuminating the face and hands while the surrounding space recedes into shadow, creating a rhythmic contrast that feels almost musical in cadence.

The surface bears evidence of careful reworking, with scumbled passages and areas of abrasion that lend the painting a tactile, lived-in quality. This refinement of texture and tone suggests a deliberate search for harmony rather than immediacy, a painting arrived at through patient adjustment rather than spontaneous gesture. "Morning Coffee" exemplifies Knebel's sensitivity to quiet human moments, where mood carries more weight than action. The painting invites prolonged looking, offering not a story but an experience - one of stillness, balance, and the gentle choreography of light across an ordinary, deeply human scene.

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 # 198975

Condition: Excellent. A few staples on edges are loose, but, otherwise, painting is in excellent overall condition. Signed with incomplete date at lower right.

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Lot 17

Arthur Knebel Painting - Morning Coffee

Arthur Knebel Painting - Morning Coffee

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