Paul Von Ringelheim, Sanford Beresofsky's Bathroom, Oil on Canvas

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A sculptor of great renown here and abroad, Paul von Ringelheim brought his refined artistic vision to painting. Von Ringelheim's … Read more A sculptor of great renown here and abroad, Paul von Ringelheim brought his refined artistic vision to painting. Von Ringelheim's art is a unique synthesis of form and content. He uses images which are familiar and comfortable, but in a form which is new and different. The artist's obsession with that greatest of American icons-the flag-immediately calls to mind the early work of Pop artist Jasper Johns. Johns, reacting against the era of Abstract Expressionism in American art, used the clear structure and flatness of the flag and balanced it with an illusionism through tonal contrasts. Through these techniques, he achieved a complicated and fascinating interplay of illusionism and reality. Von Ringelheim, the minimalist, uses different techniques to create an entirely new reality, full of spatial dynamism and extraordinary boldness of form and color. The artist's hardedged lines and enamel surfaces typify the best in minimalist art. The stars and stripes in his flag series are broken up and rearranged, not in a shattered cubist fashion, but in clear, clean, powerful geometric patterns. Bold, thick arrows, as archetypal as the flag itself, define the two-dimensional space and put the compositions in motion. The monumentality von Ringelheim bring to his sculptures is apparent here in his paintings, but there is also a sense of play and whimsical light-heartedness that links him with the Pop artists. In one sense, his canvases combine the concentric power of John's targets with the flattened purity of his flags. It is fitting that the central mythic image of America should appear so frequently in the work of this emigrant artist (von Ringelheim was born in Vienna, Austria). He has left his mark on the American landscape in impressive sculpture after sculpture. His work can be found in the Palm Springs home of former President Gerald Ford and in the design of shopping malls from Columbia, South Carolina to Worchester, Massachusetts. Other of his projects range in time from the 1963-64 World's Fair in New York City to the nation's Bicentennial celebration. An artist of great range and imagination, committed to America-its people and its environment-Paul von Ringelheim is truly a man for all seasons.

Sanford Beresofsky’s Bathroom by Paul von Ringelheim, Austrian/American (1933–2003)
Date: 1958
Oil on Canvas, signed and dated
Size: 44 x 26 in. (111.76 x 66.04 cm)
Frame Size: 45 x 26.5 inches See less