“Resting Cat”, 22”x42”, acrylic on board, Bob Kuhn (1920-2007)
Bob Kuhn was a master of modern wildlife painting and a true
original. He began his career in art as
an illustrator for magazine covers and calendars. His early work feels a bit stiff in its
execution, which was likely required by the graphic nature of the commercial
world he worked within. Once he moved into
fine art painting full-time, his work began to take on a more organic quality
with special attention paid to paint application and texture. With his keen eye developed from years of
drawing from life, Kuhn’s subjects are expertly rendered and often in wholly
unique poses.
Kuhn is known for his deceivingly simple compositions with
their signature horizontal formats and flat fields of color. These large areas of color are often
beautifully designed shapes with complex textures achieved by many layers paint
applied with brush, palette knife, and finger.
Kuhn’s work is all the more impressive because he worked with acrylics,
a medium that can be tricky to use in a painterly fashion. His main subject matter was North American
big game, although he beautifully captured African and Asian species as
well.
