Edwin Deakin "Still Life"

From: Crocker Art Museum
Limited Edition: 9
Exhibition: Edwin Deakin:
California Painter of the Picturesque
Material: Printed 2-ply vinyl
Dimensions: 31" x 72" (78cm x 182cm)

Hanging Hardware Included

Summary

Though born in England, artist Edwin Deakin worked most of his life in California, and is recognized as a major California artist. His realistic renderings of people, places, and things are luminously painted. The way he captured textures and materials in his still-lifes is reminiscent of the great Dutch Masters, and is seen in his work "The Kitchen Corner" shown on 9 banners from the Crocker Art Museum. Also from the exhibition come banners featuring Deakin's "Christmas Morning, Hotel de Cluny" which captures the stillness and serenity of a snowy Christmas morning in Paris. The detail with which the work is painted comes through in the the varied textures of stone and the carefully perched birds at the door. 14 banners feature this painting which radiates a warm feeling despite the blanket of snow it depicts.

Description

During his lifetime, Edwin Deakin was admired for the beauty of his paintings. This visual pleasure of Deakin’s work offers an enjoyable respite from daily life, and a chance to see the world through his eyes. While some works of art challenge the viewer, the response evoked by Deakin is one of peace and enjoyment.

This is seen in his still-life Le coin de cuisine (Kitchen Corner) from 1883 shown on banners from the Crocker Art Museum. The detailed objects, warm colors, reflective surfaces and tactile textiles of the still-life are painted with precision and a certain deftness of brushstroke. His mastery of painting allows Deakin to differentiate between the gleam of brass and the warm glow of copper, and also allows him to create depths of field with the objects in the foreground and a delightful landscape seen through the window. The various elements combine into a whole that is certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

A dark green border surrounds three sides of the image, and white text above and below the image reads “Edwin Deakin/California Painter of the Picturesque”. A small white box at the upper left of the image includes the dates of the exhibition in green text, “January 26 through April 20, 2008”. Both sides of this banner are identical.

Provenance

These banners were displayed around Sacramento, California from January 26 - April 20, 2008 to promote the exhibition, Edwin Deakin: 
California Painter of the Picturesque.

About the Artist

Learn more about Edwin Deakin