Dutch Masters
Gregg Chadwick
10"x7.5"x1"
oil on vintage, wood cigar box 2025
The genesis of my lifelong artistic practice can be traced to a deeply personal encounter with Rembrandt’s genius. During my childhood, following my father’s return from military service, my reunited family visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. There, I was captivated by "The Syndics of the Clothmakers' Guild" (1662). I knew the image from the lid of my father’s Dutch Masters cigars. Eureka! This masterwork, enshrined as high art, was simultaneously accessible through popular commercial branding, bridging the historical distance between the 17th century and 20th-century American life. It was a moment of profound clarity, where my family's reunion and the artistic vision on the wall suddenly converged and made sense.
Rembrandt captured the vulnerability and struggle of the private self. I often seek to capture the vulnerability of the cultural moment and the struggle of contemporary figures enacting change - souls laid bare as a worthy subject for painting.
Painted on a vintage, wood cigar box
#figurative #contemporaryartwork
Rembrandt captured the vulnerability and struggle of the private self. I often seek to capture the vulnerability of the cultural moment and the struggle of contemporary figures enacting change - souls laid bare as a worthy subject for painting.
Painted on a vintage, wood cigar box
#figurative #contemporaryartwork
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