Bob Kuhn (1920 – 2007)
In His Prime (1991)
acrylic on board
14.5 × 18.5 inches
21 × 25 × 1.5 inches (framed)
signed lower left.
The artist wrote, “The moose, with all his bizarre conformation, has a variegated and lustrous coat. You must first lay in the local color, which in art talk is the actual color without the influence of strong light, direct or reflected. Then you superimpose a tone that suggests the shine that ideally plays over the animal, taking shapes that define the form as well as adding interest to the painting by their design – themes within themes, you might say.”
I saw this and it reminded me of that 70 inch bull I saw nearly 40 years ago. He crossed the road in front of me a day or two before the moose season. He was something else. His coat was as described and glorious. The way it shimmered in the light exuded power and health. I did get a picture after he was off the road but it didn’t do justice to him. He remains my mental picture of a moose. I never saw him again.
Kuhn is my favorite big game artist. He and Rungius are the only two artists to do moose well. Kuhn’s highlights of purple in this piece may seem odd to some but that is the imprssion moose give in their prime. His “a variegated and lustrous coat” descripton is apt.
The rut will be on now and moose like this will be primed for it.