Gifford Beal, Moments Remembered is a selection of in-situ drawings that record many of the subjects that interested the artist through his long career, the genteel charm and natural beauty of Central Park, the spectacle of country fairs and the circus, and the rugged calm of the  landscapes of New York State and Rockport, Massachusetts.   The exhibition will run from November 15th through December 16th, 2011.

As Gifford Beal (1879 – 1956) developed his working drawings into paintings, the frequently active subjects he chose to portray were well suited to drawings in which natural, spontaneous motion played a crucial role.  Beal’s approach to painting derived from his study with William Merritt Chase, from 1891 through 1900, but his process was different.  Beal used on-the-spot sketches to familiarize himself with his subjects and to capture a sense of motion.

When one has known a subject for a long time, when one is familiar with all its aspects, when one has sought for what makes it beautiful, what gives it movement – then is the time to paint it, because most of the problems have already been solved in the painter’s mind….

In nearly all of Beal’s work, nature is the most important component, and sunshine the key element.  Even in his autobiographical notes, it is obvious that a day spent indoors was a precious moment in art that was lost.

Gifford Beal’s work is in the collection of museums around the country including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Phillips Collection, The Brooklyn Museum, Arkansas Arts Center, Westmoreland Museum of Art, New Britain Museum of American Art, Muscarelle Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; Joslyn Art Museum; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Kraushaar Galleries has exclusively represent the work of Gifford Beal since 1920.  Kraushaar Galleries is celebrating its 126th year in business. For information, tel. 212.288.2558.