(Winter Woods)

Reinhold H. Palenske

Painter and etcher of the American west Reinhold Palenske was a multi-talented artist, hunter, and outdoorsman. A promising career as a sportsman was waylaid by the young Palenske’s fascination with animals, and he taught himself to draw the horses he rode on hunting trips. This led to a prolific artistic career depicting the landscapes, people, and animals he came across on his trips throughout the western territories of the U.S. and Canada.

In this untitled painting, executed directly on a varnished walnut board bordered by a matching frame, Palenske has depicted what was likely a scene from his many excursions along the Canadian Rockies, which he traveled in winter as frequently as in the warmer seasons. In it, he’s captured the silence and solitude of a quiet, snow laden afternoon. The light comes in low and the cool shadows are long, as if to suggest the angled rays of an early morning sunrise.

Reinhold H. Palenske was born in Chicago Illinois in 1884. Palenske exhibited at the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library and the Royal Gallery of London, England.