Kenneth R. Nunamaker

(American, 1890-1957)

Barn by the Brook (Glenside)

oil on canvas

signed K R NUNAMAKER (lower left); also signed and titled in pencil (stretcher)

28 x 32 in.

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

Housed in a signed Thomas Hugo Williams (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) frame.

Lot Note:

Closely associated with Edward Redfield and Daniel Garber in New Hope and Center Bridge, Pennsylvania, Kenneth Nunamaker equally borrowed from the former’s blustery brushwork and the latter’s lyrical touch. Through a profuse palette and thick application of paint, Nunamaker draws attention to the materiality of his paintings, a visual echo to the palpable richness of the landscapes they depict, surging back to life after winter. Flowing waters and fleshy greenery fill Barn by the Brook (Glenside) and Early Spring (Lot 27) with overwhelming charm.

In both works, the gaze follows winding paths and streams receding into the distance or beyond the confines of the paintings. Nunamaker portrays the Bucks County countryside as a site of meandering and continuous observation. In doing so, he elevates representation beyond the pictorial, suggesting a mood, a state of mind. The carefree stroll morphs into a stream of consciousness, an alluring liberation from the rigid tethers of everyday life.

Both paintings display markers of human life, such as barns and cottages. Though they are explicitly part and parcel of each landscape, they also appear deserted—the shutters are closed—and they are strategically placed at a distance or off center, as if to suggest that the path to follow is around them, not to them. Nunamaker’s paintings serve as invitations to take in the present moment and let it flourish into a joyful and harmonious escapade.