Before I make commentary regarding the four artworks in this blog article, please let me continue my oft tradition of utilising Wikipedia pages.  You can read about the artist Daniel Garber’s career on his profile page by clicking here: Daniel Garber Wikipedia page.

‘Little Girl Knitting’ by American Impressionist painter Daniel Garber, shown above, is a charcoal monument.

Technical depth, emotive concentration, focused thoughtfulness and masterly shadow.

Defined clothing with hyper-realist skin and hair, details Tanis, the painters daughter at a determined eleven years of age.  The heavily constructed background is completely engaging whilst the patterned textural garment foreground appears almost lattice life-like.

Viewing further Garber charcoal works you will appreciate his off-the-scale pencil work.

‘Students of Painting’ by Daniel Garber has all the romanticism of the 1920’s art deco era.  Sort of dancing women and champagne flutes.  The full impressionistic style graces the wall with ghostly aplomb.  The pastel windowed garden contrasts the serious business of work.

Like the efforts to make movie pictures and King Kong.  I mention King Kong for its fictional story where art is entangled unto human tragedy.

Technological brute force combined with mass cultural decadence turning civilisation into the wild jungle.  The writer creates the apocalyptic city scenario envisioned of man kind(?) pitted against a prehistoric untamed gargantuan primate.

A primordial beast they cannot contain through sheer apex entitled delirium.

The beast is not Planet Earth or its earliest inhabitants.

‘Students of Painting’ likely explains the studies required before graduating to plein air techniques.  It’s also reasonable to believe there is a subtle allusion to gender equality through the left and right depiction of the students’ dominant hands.

With ‘The Studio Wall’ by Daniel Garber the artist distorts the natural light throughout pleasantly fashioned fabrics, the astonishing dappled wall ‘window frame‘ work, an earthy reflective floor and a singular piece of intricately fanciful furniture.

I think the onomatopoeian word we’re looking for to describe this painting is yummy.  Yes, I do accept cookies.

Beyond Words to be honest, albeit a thousand words is good to spring to mind.

The lady in the painting is Mary Franklin Garber, Daniel’s wife.  Mary is cousin of Anna Whelan Betts [link here to Anna Whelan Betts Wikipedia page] both of whom are artists themselves.  Mary is sister to John Franklin Garber, who himself made careful documentation and academic promotion of his late father’s work from 1958.

Further research resource regarding Daniel Garber’s work can be found here: Daniel Garber: Romantic Realist – A Teacher’s Guide published online as a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the James A Michener Art Museum.

I’ve included ‘Fields in Jersey’ by Daniel Garber to highlight the beautiful strength of his foreground trees’ vine-like branch work.  As a complete painting there are complex shade effects to lap up, advancing depth of field changes and dreamy hues.

I want to swing on the branches like a boy eleven years of age.  What I’m actually doing is admiring the way Garber solidly painted the foreground trees.  Having perhaps worked the background trees first, then fully completing the foreground trees afterwards.

Every artist has their own way of working.

Garber’s techniques continued to be honed and passed onward through 40 years of art teaching.  Etching, printing, painting, charcoals and sketching.  Daniel’s natural talent coupled with his professional draughtsperson’s hands make for his exceptional detailing abilities.

Daniel retains the romantic feeling of Impressionism within most of his artworks, whilst clearly enjoying Realist working also as seen through works such as the ‘Little Girl Knitting’.

In concluding this article I’d like to share a YouTube video showcasing Daniel Garber‘s artworks courtesy of Learn from Masters: