Archive for February 3, 2015

Artist of the moment…….Ralph Balson

 

 

 

Ralph Balson was an Australian artist renown for his abstract art. Ralph Balson was born in Bothenhampton, Dorset, England in the year 1890. His father was a baker.

Balson began his painting career as a painter of houses. The artist took up art as a hobby and then began taking night courses where he studied under the previous post, Grace Crowley. Later Balson and Crowley would even share a studio.

The artist was among the first to pour paint onto the canvas.

Balson was a teacher at the East Sydney Technical College. The artist was based out of Sydney, Australia for most of his career.

Ralph Balson passed away in 1964.

Price range information: Balson worked in oils, pastels, and enamel. Works range from $10,000 to $150,000.

The artist explained that he began to paint in an abstract style as he thought man’s interest in humanity had waned. Balson compared his thoughts to the great Albert Einstein. Both scientist and artist thought we had entered a time of change.

Below a fine example of the Constructivist art produced by Ralph Balson from the 1940s to the mid 1950s:

My favorite works of Balson are his matter series. Great examples of these works are the first two pieces in the picture gallery. The fluidity of the work is amazing.

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Artist of the moment…….Grace Crowley

 

Grace Crowley was an Australian artist renown for her abstract style of paintings. Grace Crowley was born in Barbarra, New South Wales, Australia in the year 1890. Her family raised livestock such as cattle and sheep.

Crowley attended Methodist Ladies College located in Burwood, New South Wales, Australia . Later the artist studied with the famous Andre Lhoté in Paris, France. Lhoté was a key mentor and this helped to shape Crowley’s use of colour in her paintings.

The artist was part of the first abstract art exhibition in Australia.

In this clip we view a works by Grace Crowley:

Grace Crowley passed away in 1979.

Price range information: Sorry none available.

I enjoy the abstract qualities of Grace Crowley’s work found in her more realist paintings. They remind of the abstract qualities found in the work of the famed painter Nicolai Fechin. Both artists use a great deal of abstraction even in their more realist and impressionist paintings.  Crowley was gifted at painting in both impressionist and abstract styles.

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