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The International artist Theodore Zimmerman is the President of the SOCIETY OF ARTS ACADEMY. which is an Academy for the promotion of artistic excellence through the Online Exhibition of works by famous International Painters, Sculptors & Potters, CLICK FOR LIST OF ARTISTS.
Title: "Playing with 'Patch' the dog at Le Touquet." (c)
Pastel Drawing: "Sur la plage de Dieppe." (c)
Impressionism in France.
Paintings of scenes of Paris where he studied 'Impressionism', also in the Montmartre, Montparnasse and along the river Seine. The important beach paintings using his preferred pastels medium at Le Touquet, Fecamp, Pourville, Dieppe and Trouville, where he stayed for a while to paint the beautiful sublime beach scenes of a summers day, or the stark, windy, empty beaches and rough seas of winter. Other important drawings of this early period include drawings on the coast of Brittany and Normandy. Advice he offered to an interested amateur artist was quote: "Find a view you like, and then spend a few minutes of your time just looking at the scene. Choose only a small number of colours to use, what to include in your drawing and finally what to leave out. It's important to keep things as simple as possible and paint just an artistic impression of what you see. Many of my drawings are almost completed from memory without ever having to look at the scene again, and by this method I leave out all unnecessary detail from my work." Details of his life, time and travels on the beaches of France, Europe and in the U.K., together with his own personal stories and experiences as a painter with many memorable scenes of Parisian families on holiday with their children playing on the rocky or sandy beaches and enjoying themselves with their friends or paddling in the sea will be shown on this site when available. Throughout his artistic career, he painted beautiful works of art thereby immortalizing the scene for ever. His love of the pastels medium was most evident, as over 90% of his beach & landscape drawings were completed using the medium, together with a small number of watercolours and oils. He rejected the use of oil paints as a painting medium for outside works, saying. "I find oils very messy and inconvenient when painting 'en plein air' and I much prefer my pastels, pencils or watercolours. I do use oil paints occasionally, but only in my studio. I try to keep my drawing materials to the barest minimum and as light as possible, so I can move quickly and at any given moment when I see a scene or effect of nature that I need to paint. I have observed amateur and even professional artists carrying easels, seats, large boxes of oil paints, huge canvasses, brushes and numerous other items of unnecessary equipment, completely exhausted before they find a suitable view to paint. Then they spend more valuable time and effort setting up their easel, laying out their paints before finally putting a brush to canvas. During all this wasted time I could have finished a drawing and then moved on to another place and started on my next painting. '' Theo. would be seen in all kinds of weather, on a beach, in the countryside, or by a river, with just a box of pastels and colour pencils in his jacket pocket, and in a small shoulder bag or case, he kept his spare drawing paper, camera, a damp rag to clean his hands and his flask of tea and sandwiches. Theo. said, "During my painting trips I must admit to being somewhat of a loner, and I prefer it that way because of the concentration required for my drawings. However, if anyone is passing by and stops to watch me paint and then wants to bring me into a conversation regarding my work, I will stop for a short time to talk about the scene and what I am trying to capture with my beloved pastels. On occasions, if they show good artistic thought and a desire to draw, I have offered pencil and paper so they could also record the scene with an offer of my help and advice along the way. I have often been asked the question, "Why do you paint on such a small scale?." To this question Theo. replied. "My pastels drawings are always on a small scale when working 'en plein air', as I need to work quickly to capture nature at any moment in time, and when I see people and children walking along a beach, they appear very small in relation to the scene before me. To be able to draw on paper and record the heavy seas on stormy days with dark clouds scuttling across the sky, or a calm sea or busy beach on a beautiful summer's day is a wonderful experience. I prefer to use a smooth tinted or cream sketching paper in pad form, which is ideal for my pastel or watercolor use and one which fits easily into my jacket pocket. Also I use a fixing medium to avoid messing up my drawings when moving about from place to place." Occasionally, Theo. would go down to a beach after dark to paint the lonely but poetical scene in moonlight. These moonlight drawings are very rare and equally important as his daytime works in his quest to capture nature in all it's forms. On one occasion while painting on a beautiful and warm night, he was approached from behind by a young man who attempted to steal his jacket which he had left lying on the sands behind him. Theo. chased the man along the beach until he dropped the jacket and finally disappeared into the darkness of the night. To be an artist is a privileged occupation, but don't expect to become a great painter overnight, even after a lifetime of practice and painting there is absolutely no guarantee of success at all.
Throughout a lifetime of painting, he would start early in the morning and continue until quite late in the evening, remaining oblivious to anything or anyone who wished to distract him from his work. Over the years, Theo. was content to freely give away his paintings to close family and friends, but during his later retirement years, passionately refusing to sell his works to anyone he did not approve of or for personal monetary gain. Saying to the public and art collectors, quote: "My paintings are a personal record of the places I have visited and of the cherished memories and experiences of my life as a working artist. I loath selling any of my drawings as I value even the smallest sketch beyond price. My love of art and for my family, are the important parts of my life and time on this wonderful and beautiful planet." In recent years, examples of his work in pastels have been sold in art galleries and at the important Fine Art Auctions in the U.K., Europe, U.S.A. and Canada, where they have been well received by the art establishment and the general public.
20th Century 'Elongatism' Figure & Portrait drawings.
Drawing: "L'artiste de Montparnasse, Paris. 1955" (c)
For Sale: $50,000 USA Dollars. (Fifty Thousand USA Dollars)
Drawing: "Le poet de Montparnasse, Paris. 1955" (c)
Drawing: "Anna de Montparnasse, Paris. 1955 " (c)
Drawing: "The Spanish Artist, Madrid. Spain. " (c)
Theo. visited the studio of artist Alberto Giacometti in Montparnasse, Paris where Alberto said that the drawings in his portfolio were quote, "pièces exceptionelles de l'art". Theo. made drawings of Alberto and Annette Giacometti during his time in Paris, also pastel drawings of life in Montmartre and Montparnasse, where he would sketch the local people and his friends in the artist quarters, and importantly, the unusual but interesting, 'People of the night'. These special and rare drawings of the hidden night life of Paris are in high demand from collectors from Europe and America as they are now realising the importance of the artists works.
During one of Theo's other visits to Giacometti's studio, over four hours, Theo. completed twenty small drawings of a local black cat who had befriended him when straying into the studio. Alberto also made a very interesting cat sculpture in his usual style at the same time. (See below)
'People of the night' 'Elongatism' drawings in Montparnasse. Paris.
Title of pastel drawing: "The man with staring eyes in Montparnasse. Paris." (c)
Title of pastel drawing: "The Streetwalker in Montparnasse. Paris." (c)
Title of pastel drawing: "The Tramp in Montparnasse. Paris." (c)
Title of pastel drawing: "The Transvestite in Montparnasse. Paris." (c)
20th Century 'Elongatism' Figure & Portrait drawings. The artists works, have a stylized and intense movement and spiritual feeling about them, as Theo. attempts to capture the aura and ambiance of the eternal spirit of people in a portrait or figure drawing. The birth of the style 'elongatism' , first created in his early paintings when he was 16 years old, developed over the years into his own personal and original style. Theo. said: " I want to create a style of painting and drawing, that, when anyone views one of my paintings from across a room, that person will immediately know that the artist Theodore Zimmerman painted it. The normal visual representation of a person in a photograph or portrait is obsolete, because the body changes every day as we journey through the aging process. I try to create in my paintings the aura and ambiance of the eternal spirit, which is with you throughout your lifetime." The artist's answer to an American onlooker who was watching him work and had remarked that his painting was missing many details, was, quote, " If you want an accurate account of what you are looking at, go and find a photographer. However, I'm sure that you have the intelligence to appreciate an original work of art, then you will need an artist to paint it for you." Following this comment, the onlooker purchased the painting for his American Institutions Art collection.
The painters early, middle and late period works has created a huge interest in the artist. All the works are fully signed, inscribed and authenticated, with the artists ' Atelier ' stamps.
Impressionism in the Channel Islands and the U.K.
Title: "A view of the cliffs and beach, Sark. C.I. " (c)
The Channel Islands, are special places for any artist to visit and marvel at the many beautiful beaches and lovely countryside, with fields and woods full of flowers at springtime. A specialty of the artist when visiting the Channel Islands was to set out early in the morning to experience and record in pastels, the splendid sunrises and in the evenings the superb and colourful sunsets. Ever since his first visit to the area as a schoolboy, and over a lifetime as an artist, he would return many times and create pastel drawings of the wonderful sandy beaches and picturesque scenery. His works include views of the popular tourist areas, but also, Theo. would always prefer to make drawings of the smaller and little known and difficult to get to beaches and coves, with their rocky outcrops and steep cliffs of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Herm, Alderney, Brecqhou and Jethou. The family of the artist have a excellent collection of drawings of the Channel Islands he made during his life.
St. Ives. Cornwall
Title of pastel drawing: "At St. Ives, Cornwall. " (c)
At St. Ives, on the beach with the children during their summer holidays, and in the evenings he would sketch his artist friends relaxing and enjoying themselves. Theo's. paintings at St. Ives and other Abstract Expressionism works, either on canvas or paper are of the highest quality and quite valuable, as are the pastel drawings he completed of the Cornish Miners from the South Crofty Tin Mines. Theo's works also include coastal or beach views of lovely Newlyn, Mousehole, Polperro, Port Isaac, St Agnes, Perranporth, Boscastle, Bude, Tintagell, Mevagissey, Looe, Falmouth, Corbis Bay, Lamorna, etc.
The City of London. Theo. could be seen occasionally at the important auction houses of Sotheby's, Christies, Philips or Bonhams on viewing or sales day, making small figure sketches in pencil of the art collectors and dealers talking together or examining the fine works on display. He looked forward to viewing the regular paintings exhibitions at The Fine Art Society, Agnews, Royal Academy and other main London Art Galleries. Theo's. drawings include small pastel sketches of the London Parks, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, Tate Gallery, Kew Gardens, Hampstead Heath, Harrods, Trafalgar Square, Palaces, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament and along the banks of the River Thames.
Beach drawings at Southend -on -Sea, Bognor-Regis beach, Margate, Camber, Herne Bay, and Ramsgate beach, Hastings, Dover, Brighton beach, Eastbourne beach, Folkestone, Painton, and other places along the south coast including fine pastel drawings of the Seven Sisters Cliffs and views of the Isle of White and the Scilly Islands.
The painters quest to capture nature, from the Pyramids of Egypt and the sublime beauty of the Nile, the temples and buildings of Jerusalem, the morning mists on the river Seine, or that fleeting and illusive atmospheric moment of nature only seen through the artist's eyes in the colours of a Venice sunrise or sunset.
Mallorca. The beaches of beautiful Mallorca with it's friendly people was a main destination for the artist during his ;ater years, and his love for the island is clearly shown in the quality of the paintings he completed there. In his retirement years, he would spend the winters with his family on the island where he found the warmer climate of the Mediterranean being necessary for his health.
The important Bible stories from the Old and New Testement.
Theo's. late atmospheric and colourful scenes of stories from the Bible, full of colour, poetry and mysticism, include 'The 'exodus of the Israelites from Egypt'. 'The journeys of 'Moses' and the 'Israelites', including 'Moses and the 'Ten Commandments,' ' Mount Sinai,' 'The Israelites and the parting of the Red Sea,' The destruction of Herods army,' 'Moses and the Israelites at the promised land'. Other paintings are from the 'New Testament', include, 'The Crucifixion of Christ', 'The sermon on the mount', 'The raising of Lazarus', 'The feeding of the five thousand,' etc. The style and colour of these large beautiful works are some of Theo's finest creations after a lifetime of painting and dedication to art.
Authentication, Signature and Studio 'Atelier' stamps.
Theo's. paintings in Institutions, Museums, Public and Private Collections are fully signed and inscribed, and most are stamped with the artists 'Studio Atelier stamp.' Any Collector, Society, Institution or Art Gallery who owns an original painting, drawing, or a special signed limited edition or photographic image by the artist, will now begin to fully appreciate and understand the meaning of a lifetime of dedication to painting and the arts.
Changes on this site will occur from time to time with further information regarding the artists life. Included will be a selection from his writings, poems, stories and experiences from his travels through Europe and other countries.
Title of book: "Studio de Theo." (c)
A 'catalogue raisonne' of his life and works is in the process of being documented by the artists family.
The Society of Arts Academy wishes to thank all private owners, individuals, galleries, museums, and institutions etc., for the use of the photographs and images of the great artists on this site. The limited edition photography of persons and works by artists, their images, arts, paintings, sculpture, music, acting, films, and any information etc., on this site are for educational and information use only. DISCLAIMER: Infringement of copyrights. Any image that infringes a copyright on this educational site, please inform the S.I.E.A.A. (USA) and we will remove it. Thanks!
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