Gary Faigin says of Kurt Solmssen’s work, “Though a realist, Kurt
Solmssen does not so much record what he sees, as use his surroundings
as a point of departure for poetic homages to waterside life, the
delights of color and light, and the joys of the loaded brush. His
paintings are rich, fluid, and celebratory. Obtrusive elements - either
human or natural - are kept out of the frame of view, or like those
beachfront homes, edited away. The family activities are always calm and
genial, the weather generally, though not always, sunny.”
Solmssen is the realist of an idyllic world. He reminds fortunate viewers of ideal moments existing within their grasp. Bold use of primary colors and painterly details overwhelm scenes with nostalgia for the every day. These qualities also reveal the artist’s delight with the scene and medium, heightening viewer enjoyment. Viewing Solmssen’s work, one revels in the warmth of his sun, the coolness of his shade, and the painterly brushstrokes that reinforce the significance of the scene, justifying its memory.
Solmssen is the realist of an idyllic world. He reminds fortunate viewers of ideal moments existing within their grasp. Bold use of primary colors and painterly details overwhelm scenes with nostalgia for the every day. These qualities also reveal the artist’s delight with the scene and medium, heightening viewer enjoyment. Viewing Solmssen’s work, one revels in the warmth of his sun, the coolness of his shade, and the painterly brushstrokes that reinforce the significance of the scene, justifying its memory.
