The Funk & Bolton Collection - PHILADELPHIA
"From my experience, I have come to know the importance of being surrounded by museum-quality art work which is highly functional in a very abstract way; it has a deep emotional, psychological value in many ways, including to facilitate creative thinking."
Daniel Stuelpnagel
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Welcome to the Funk & Bolton collection of art works by Daniel Stuelpnagel. The artist’s aim in designing this collection is to enhance the space and therefore experience of those working in and visiting the firm. To that end, he created a body of work to inter-act both with individuals and the actual site.
Taking a viewer-centered approach, Stuelpnagel’s art is intersubjective. He unites object and person to create a sensate whole thereby stimulating an intellectual, emotional and at times visceral response. Influenced by the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, Stuelpnagel’s artistic point of departure is to represent “the universal, dynamic pulse of life.”
Throughout his travels, the artist successfully captures the essence of various regions. Not concerned simply with material aspects of a locale, he physically and mentally absorbs the textures and nuances of landscapes, seascapes and architecture. The locations inspiring this collection span six years and are, chronologically, California, the Galapágos Islands, Spain, Italy, and Maui.
Memories of these geographic and cultural atmospheres inspire his choice of subject matter and colour palette. Stuelpnagel, although influenced by Mondrian, transcends the Dutch painter’s model. His grid-based works are built on a foundation of the geometric; as such, these paintings represent “elements in the microcosm of mineral components and fundamental elements of our world.” By shifting from geometric abstraction to landscapes, the artist focuses on different views of the natural world.
Walking through the office one experiences the evolution of the innovative artist. He adroitly employs what is referred to as a backlight. Each painting has a subtle, yet striking radiant glow appearing from the multiple levels of geometric shapes and paint layers. The luminosity calms and stimulates viewers’ senses.
In earlier works, for example, #79 and #108, the paintings are geometrically layered. He masterfully constructs illusions of space by manipulating separate planes and juxtaposing hues. The resulting image appears to be three-dimensional.
In later works such as #319 and #324, geometric abstractions pave the way to landscape paintings. Continuing to work in layers, the artist creates depth and distance. Strategic use of subtle yellows and blues accompanied by deep reds and earth tones delicately draws the viewer into the painting. The jaggedness of the mountains is modified by the horizon’s soft colours.
Stuelpnagel’s deftness continues in #329. While comparatively smaller in scale than other works, the impasto-laden painting (with its brisk, sharp strokes), commands the viewer’s attention. One is quickly captivated by its density and creative complexity. Anxious and hesitant to touch the tactile canvas, one sensuously feels the grooves, rough indentations and smooth arcs of the surface without having a physical connection. At this moment, the body and painting have united intersubjectively.
More than elements of nature, the artist’s landscapes represent the journey, Life. Mountains are a metaphor for the challenges and obstacles faced on our personal crossing. The beauty of life, while not negating the difficulties, appear as brilliant hues aiding one along in his or her travels.
By connecting viewers to geographic locations and the universal experiences of humankind, this collection is, in effect, a commentary on life. The paintings are an embodiment of what it is to be a “Being-in-the-world.” Stimulated by the energy which he believes art intrinsically has, Daniel Stuelpnagel’s work conveys strength, determination and fortitude.
Donna Jackson, Director of Visual Culture
Third Root Aesthetic, LLC USA
