Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Sacramento Journal: Granville Redmond at the Crocker



"Sand Dunes" by Granville Redmond
The California artist Granville Redmond (1871-1935) wanted to be appreciated for his tonality. But it was his exuberant impressionistically painted fields of poppies, amongst the works comprising the show of the artist's work, "The Eloquent Palette" at the Crocker Art Museum, that would both catch the public's eye and secure his reputation. Paintings like "California Oaks" (1910) with their darker moonlit hue had less appeal. "Alas, people will not buy them," said Redmond. "They all seem to want poppies." Maybe it was the fact of his deafness and the silent world in which he lived that made these lush landscapes particularly come to life. Redmond had a second job. He played small roles in several Chaplin silents both acting and doing scene effects on City Lights, for example. He actually played the part of a sculptor in that movie. Chaplin spoke of Redmond thusly: "Something puzzles me about Redmond's pictures. There's such a wonderful joyousness about them all. Look at the gladness in that sky, the riot of color in the flowers. Sometimes I think that the silence in which he lives developed in him some sense, some great capacity for happiness in which we others are lacking."

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