Motif of the Setting Sun

I am forever longing to capture the ungraspable. I suppose that is what the majority of visual artists, musicians and poets are constantly occupied with- to leave their distinct voice whatever their medium of expression may be.

The setting sun as subject is capable of conveying a vast deep array of human emotion. Sun and cloud are often our first subject matter when we begin to draw as children.

Swollen Descent Acrylic on Canvas K. Engel 2023

The golden hour has been depicted throughout the ages and has been subject matter to many painters throughout history. Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler,  J.M. Turner and Frederic Edwin Church are some that have deeply moved me. I’ve had the opportunity to see many works by these artists when traveling to major museums in different cities. It has been a gift to study their works in person.

Sun Setting Over A Lake, J. M. Turner 1840, Tate Gallery London, United Kingdom

 

Mark Rothko, Untitled 1968, Brooklyn Museum, New York, United States

 

Homage, Acrylic on Canvas K. Engel 2023

Throughout the years I have made vast amounts of paintings on paper, gessoed board and canvas; fluctuating between abstraction and non-objective subject or lack thereof.  In the past, I spent many hours painting en plein air. The accumulative habit of painting for over 25 years has now manifested in an approach to art making without having reference material.

I recently had the realization that I may miss not living in close proximity to the water anymore. The motif of the sunset holds a sense of longing for me; teetering on the brink of melancholy. I am filled with a sense of awe and wonder of having this life- these perceptions and the ability to express them.

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