Ghosts from the past in paintings by American artist Charles L. Peterson

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

And what artists do not think of in order to win the attention of the public. And therefore, what only we will not see on the Internet: and delightful, and outrageous, and out of the ordinary. But, unusual creativity American master of watercolor painting Charles L. Peterson, I think, will touch everyone for a living, since we are all human, and people have a memory … Memory of parents and loved ones, of places dear to the heart and about many other things. Masterfully combining places of memory and images associated with them, the artist paints pictures with ghosts from the past.

Three years ago, renowned American artist Charles L. Peterson celebrated his 90th birthday. On this occasion, a retrospective exhibition of his works was organized. As an artist, Charles is widely known nationally for his vibrant seascapes, Series of Memories, as well as multi-layered engravings of intricate compositions and sculptural ceramics. Fans of his work had a great opportunity to get acquainted with the works of the master, who devoted his entire life to art, first as a professor of painting, and then as an artist.

Turning the pages of a biography

Charles L. Peterson was born in 1927. He was the third son of a Swedish immigrant family. The future artist grew up in Elgin, Illinois, USA. Mom called her son Chick ("chicken") for his feeble appearance. And this nickname stuck to him for life. Since childhood, Chick was fond of drawing, and so much so that everything that came to hand was used. - said Charles, years later.

Since the men in the Peterson family were without exception engineers, the younger son was also prepared for the future of an engineer. To do this, he had to carefully study mathematics and natural sciences. However, Chick did not stop drawing, and secretly dreamed of becoming an artist by all means. In this endeavor, his mother sincerely supported him.

However, the plans of the young man were disrupted by the World War, and Peterson Jr. went to serve in the navy. Without parting with a pencil and a notebook, he carved out a minute or two to draw sketches. At first, Peterson's drawings caught the attention of his fellow sailors.

And when Chick returned from the war, it was his mother who sent his drawings to the Chicago American Academy of Arts. The answer soon came that Charles had good potential, but more training was needed. And he entered an art school with a classical bias, and at the same time worked as an illustrator for a local publication.

After studying the basics of visual arts, Peterson received a BA from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and later a master's degree in painting from Ohio University. This was followed by a 20-year career as a professor at Concord College, West Virginia. And after - he taught for many years at his alma mater and at the same time held the position of head of the arts department.

Becoming Charles L. Peterson as an Artist

After graduating from teaching and leadership in 1973, the painting professor and his family settled in the quaint village of Ephraim in northern Dor County. It was there that the creative life of Charles L. Peterson began.

And if in the past he spent a lot of time traveling around Europe, visiting leading galleries and museums, studying other paintings and techniques, conducting research, now he has become a creator himself. And on this occasion he said:

His studio overlooks beautiful Lake Michigan. Therefore, much of Charles Peterson's work reflects his love for sailing and the sea. Paintings of great sailing ships and beautiful seascapes have long provided Peterson with both financial and professional success. For several years he has been one of the top ten artists of the "US Art" magazine. He was also named to the "Contemporary Maritime Masters" list of the Maritime Gallery at the Mystic Seaport, where he won several prizes.

But, the creative artist did not stop there. In his work, he sought to avoid the newfangled modern trends, preferring to them a kind of pacification of village life. From this direction, the idea arose to create a small series of works reflecting a journey into the past called "The Memories Collection".

Then the artist himself did not expect it to become so popular in the future. There was no end of customers who wanted to have a memory of themselves in the past and loved ones who had gone to another world. Thus, the "ghostly interpretations of relatives", which are depicted as translucent in the paintings, became the main theme of Charles L. Peterson's work for many years.

Scrolls through the memory of the past page: time, place and ghostly characters

How often we can not restrain exciting emotions, finding ourselves, after many years, in our children's room or in the school class, where the first "five" was received, however, the "two" as well; or in the park, where the first kiss burned our lips so sweetly … And the older we get, the more memories we accumulate. There is no escape from them as long as our memory is alive.

The artist took this feature of human existence as a basis, working on a series of works "Collection of Memories", in which pale ghosts of the past seem to appear against the background of landscapes. His unique paintings are filled with nostalgia for bygone times, which are preserved in the memory and heart of the artist himself. Each canvas carries a feeling of warmth, love and light lyrical sadness.

And although Charles Peterson, when creating his works, turned primarily to his own memories, his images are close and understandable to everyone. They allow the viewer to return to a happy, carefree childhood, remember the taste of grandmother's pies, games with peers, as well as first love and first parting. In short, everything that is filled with human life.

To create ghostly characters, the artist uses a layering effect, a combination of a colorful background with faded figures of people that look like ghosts. People who, perhaps, have been dead for a long time, but who will always live in our memory and hearts.

Try to look closely at each picture, and you will see many characters who are enthusiastically skating, running, racing, riding horses, fishing, and just talking or enjoying life … Everything that you see in the paintings of Charles L. Peterson depends only on from your attention. Each of his works is a whole story of both the present and the past …

As we can see, the artist has a wide range of subjects in his arsenal: from marine and landscape landscapes to unique paintings with ghosts. And if Peterson's marine paintings brought the artist professional prestige and recognition on a national scale, then his unique paintings-memories - worldwide fame.

And now, despite his advanced age, the artist continues to work according to his health condition. And from the height of the past years, he declares: And with a smile continues, - …

And, as mentioned above, true artists stubbornly seek and find their own means of self-expression. For example, Valentin Rekunenko - an artist-storyteller from Ukraine writes phantasmagorias for children and adults, which also transport the viewer to other worlds.