Book Pile XXXIII. Oil on linen. 36 x 28 inches
They’ve been using books in still life painting for a long time. From the rise of the genre in the Netherlands in the the early 17th century to Van Gogh’s Still Life with Bible to Mattise’s Still Life, Bouquet of Dahlias and White Book the book has always had a prominent place in the artist’s imagination.
A solid contemporary example is Used and Discarded Books, a new series of paintings by Ephraim Rubenstein.
These biblio-portraits breathe grace and beauty into books that have seen better days. Here the value transcends the monetary, and the seemingly unsteady, teetering piles mirror the fragile nature of the printed book in today’s culture.
Book Pile XXVI. Oil on linen. 16 x 14 inches
Selections from the series are currently part of the Small Works exhibit on view at Davidson Galleries in Seattle.
Book Pile XXX. Oil on linen. 8 x 20 inches
Rubenstein also is in the midst of a series of painting and drawings based on the poetry of Rilke.