Conrad Frankel's Castello di St. Maria Novella, examined by OCG volunteer Genevieve Rust

Conrad Frankel
'Castello di St. Maria Novella'

A closer look by Genevieve Rust, volunteer at Olivier Cornet Gallery

Conrad Frankel, 'Castello di St Maria Novella', oil on linen on wood, 23x35cm, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
In mid April 2023, Genevieve Rust, a volunteer at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, wrote about Conrad Frankel's painting 'Castello di St. Maria Novella', an oil on linen on wood, 23x35cm (available for 800 euro).

"Conrad Frankel’s piece “Castello di St. Maria Novella” displays a picturesque landscape drawn from Fiano in the North of Italy. The Castello di St. Maria Novella is a 10th century fortress utilised by the Florentine army in defence against Siena. It later became a home for many noble Florentinian families, such as the Gianfigliazzi, Acciaiuoli, and Carnesecchi families. I was struck by the romantic and contemplative nature of “Castello di St. Maria Novella”. It is clear through the piece that Frankel has a full understanding of the landscape in front of him: recognising the way light falls on the hill through the thick grey clouds, both shielding and bringing attention to the central Castello by shrouding it in a deep black shadow. The piece is characterised by its free-flowing brushstrokes, with a juxtaposition of finely-blended and more geometrically compact swaths of rich colour. In sections the paint gives way to the natural texture of the linen creating a sense of well-worn timelessness similar to the grain present in antique photographs.

Conrad Frankel’s en plein air oil painting was created during a three-month-long road trip taken in the summer of 2018. Frankel cites a series of inspirations for the locations and intentions behind the trip: painters such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Giorgio Morandi, John Benjamin, and Jack Yeats, authors Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The journey took Frankel through Italy, France, Cornwall, and Ireland by car in search of scenes to paint. The result of this extensive journey is a series of ‘portable’ landscape paintings, painted in oil on linen and mounted on thick wooden supports made of pitch pine sourced from Co. Cork.

This piece was featured in Conrad Frankel’s 16th September - 14th October 2018 solo exhibition ‘Road Trip,’ which featured a series of works created during his vehicular pilgrimage through mainland Europe. The exhibition was featured twice in The Irish Times – in an independent review and a year's-end roundup of exhibitions, both written by the art critic Aidan Dunne. “Castello di St. Maria Novella” is an emblem of Frankel’s journey; a manifestation of interaction, appreciation, and comprehension of a new and exciting location. The solitude of the Castello stands fiercely in the gentle and harmonious landscape, through which Frankel examines the relationship between man-made object, the natural world, and the ubiquitous observer."

Genevieve Rust

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