"At the Source” – 2009 Oil on Canvas, 29 7/8” x 16” - View »
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“Painting is not for me…must be every time: invention, discovery, revelation.”
– Max Ernst (1891-1976)
Gil credits Surrealist and Dada-style artist Max Ernst as inspiration for subject matter and approach: “In painting, every moment is an invention, a discovery, a revelation.” |
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Harvest time is the perfect time to take stock and think about our blessings. In this issue, we celebrate 35 years of Gil’s work.
- Marianne & Gil, October 2009
Gil Bruvel at 50:
Now and Then |
Gil Bruvel |
“Self Portrait” – 1975 Oil on Canvas |
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“The Sleep” –1980
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| “L’ile Natale” - 1982 |
Gil celebrated his 50th birthday the third weekend in September with a four day event, hosted by Lahaina Galleries, that was attended by over 60 friends, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Guests were wined and dined and treated to some of the very best hospitality the Texas Hill Country has to offer.
Art Retrospective & Lecture Events kicked off on Thursday evening at Gil and Marianne’s lovely Wimberley home with a cocktail reception and art retrospective, featuring never before seen work from Gil’s private collection.
“We thought it would be a great way to celebrate Gil’s 50th by highlighting his artistic process over the last 35 years” says Marianne. The retrospective, which focused on Gil’s early work, “allowed people to immerse themselves in the history of Gil’s creative process.”
According to Gil, the early work “is more internal” in a way that relies on “age and mood,” while his later work, though still retaining “a sense of an internal process,” is “more luminous and universal; it’s lighter.”
The retrospective was followed by former University of Texas Professor of Art History Holle Humphries’ lecture on the influences of place and aesthetics in Gil’s work. Humphries, who has been interviewing Gil and documenting his work for nearly a decade, discussed Gil’s artistic life, while highlighting his artistic “epiphanies.”
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Fantastic Austin Events & Art Unveiling
After two full days of events that included a tour of the Austin state capital, a wine estate visit, golfing, skeet shooting, a live (night) bronze pouring, a class at the Old Oaks Ranch fiber farm in silk and wool felt scarf-making, and a traditional Texas BBQ (whew!), Gil’s birthday bash commenced on Saturday night with the unveiling of Gil’s new work, followed by a sumptuous catered sit-down dinner, birthday cake and some “turbo-country” dancing and music with Austin’s own Jesse Dayton.
Gil was especially excited and proud to unveil six new works that he says show his work as becoming “more luminous in color and subject matter.” According to him, his work “is more complex in execution, but more streamlined.”
While Gil continues to explore the same motifs in his work, “it is changing,” he says. For example, says Gil, “The Eclipse,” shows his work as “more universal and more relevant to the environment and to people,” while work like “The Horizon” demonstrates that “we can have complete comprehension of the world, and still not understand it; but we can revel in it and celebrate it.” Ultimately, says Gil, he sees his current work as “enduringly hopeful” and “moving more toward the Essential.”
Overall, Gil says the celebration made turning 50 “worth it,” and he looks forward to a whole new era of creating art and continuing to explore how the canvas, as well as other mediums, can express emotional and psychological states.
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“King Lear, stage setup” - 2009 