To The Lighthouse. Leonard Koscianski, 42″x26″, oil on canvas, 2016.
To the Lighthouse is a medium size painting, in oils on canvas. It is Postmodern Art in style in that it combines styles from the past, to create an eclectic whole. Surrealism is combined with American Primitive art creating a dreamlike scene of life on the shore. Annapolis is a boating haven, and lighthouses are a major attraction on the Atlantic Coast. Artists Grant Wood, Giorgio de Chirico, and Chicago artist Roger Brown are major influences of this work.
Lighthouses have been painted so many times that attempting this subject in an original way is a major challenge. The primary colors – red, yellow, blue, and green form the basis of the color composition. The Surrealist space is a curved plane that takes the viewer from looking straight down at the foreground boat to straight out at the distant horizon with the rising moon. The warm colors of the illuminated stain glass windows of the church punctuate the dark distance. The foreground space is reminiscent of Wayne Thiebaud, a grad school mentor.
The sandy beach is textured with a single set of footprints going to the lighthouse where a person is standing along the guard rail looking down at the boats. Though difficult to see in this digital photo, there are details inside the boats, and a seated boater can be seen. The road leads into the distance, and along the way are a cyclist and a car with its headlights on.