Kansas City, View of the River

Series TitleKansas City, Summer 1989

Artist Wilbur Niewald (American, 1925 - 2022)

Date1989

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 29 × 36 × 1 1/4 inches (73.66 × 91.44 × 3.18 cm)
Framed: 29 3/4 × 36 3/4 × 1 5/8 inches (75.57 × 93.35 × 4.13 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: Nelson Gallery Foundation

Object numberF90-14/3

Signedverso (in ink): "Wilbur Niewald 'Kansas City, View of the River' 1989"

On View

Not on view

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Contemporary Art

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DescriptionA road or broad walkway comprised of large paving stones, flanked by a line of shrubbery, enters the composition at the lower right and ends abruptly at lower center with the addition of more shrubbery and grass. Horizontally across the middle ground is a series of roads punctuated by telephone poles. Throughout the area between these roads and the high horizon line in the background are multi-storied buildings resembling warehouses. There is a rectangular building of red brick.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

Wilber Niewald's paintings of Kansas City are highly structured, realistic compositions which exude a sense of rational order and balance. The artist carefully places each brushstroke to reiterate the underlying form of the landscape, road or building. Architectural forms are painted in red tones and are juxtaposed against the blues and greens of nature. Each painting was created from a striking vantage point-an approach that enlivens what might otherwise be a rather ordinary urban scene. Faithfully observant of nature, Niewald has said, "I am not seeking a mood or any psychological depth. My paintings are just studies where I connect relationships between color and space and what I see."

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