From March 3 until April 7, the Viterbo University Gallery is featuring a collection of oil paintings on canvas by Douglas R. Giebel. Giebel is a New-York based artist originally from Detroit and a graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. His collection, “Figures in Landscapes: Seeking God’s Shalom” consists greatly of paintings depicting the natural beauty of Highland Park and its Mount Hope Cemetery, located in Rochester, New York, near his home.
About these places and the works they have inspired, the artist notes on his website, “I am delighted that Highland Park and Mount Hope Cemetery were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, whose work on Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn inspired my first attempts at urban landscapes while I was a student in New York City. In painting figures in urban landscape settings, I am exploring relationships, among people, between people and nature, and between both and their Creator.”
As to the philosophy behind his art, Giebel explains, “As a Christian, my understanding of the world as God’s good creation has directed my work as a figurative artist. I admire the beauty that God has made for our enjoyment and His glory. I am stimulated by the inexhaustible splendor creation holds, reflecting the wisdom of its Creator. My work is nurtured by the subtlety and structure of what God has made.”
This nurturing is evident in the vibrantly realistic color palette that pervades Giebel’s works; greens are carefully overlaid with pinks, purples, and hints of yellow to illustrate the richness of flowers and foliage. Each work evokes a sense of simplicity and closeness to nature, from their content to their presentation. All but a few of the depicted figures are barefoot. Additionally, all of the canvases are framed by the same plain wooden slats, drawing the eye deeper into the colors of nature.
The main figures featured in the collection, known as the “Three Graces,” are three women drawn in a variety of orders and positions. They and the other inhabitants of Giebel’s world elicit a story of movement between pieces as they make music, mingle with their minds, and dream quietly. Groups and individuals share moments of time together, some in bathing suits and simple dresses, evoking a natural sense of community.
Tucked away in the placid silence of the Viterbo Gallery on the Fine Arts Center’s third floor, Giebel’s collection is a beautiful reminder of the simple joys of communion with nature and other people—things humanity has come to appreciate all the more during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays while class is in session.
