The rich, fall colors in the landscape this year reminded me of the work of Nell Blaine, a 20th century painter who painted vivid landscapes, interiors and still lifes. Blaine was born in Richmond, Va., in 1922, and moved to New York in 1942 to study painting with Hans Hofmann. Her early, abstract work was inspired by Hofmann, Mondrian, and Leger. A trip to Paris in 1950 sparked an interest in the tradition of 19th century and early 20th century European painting. She was particularly drawn to the work of Bonnard and Vuillard. During the 1950’s, Blaine turned more to nature and representational painting, incorporating structural ideas she learned from her abstract studies and the color sensibility of post-Impressionists.
In 1959, while traveling and painting in Greece, Blaine contracted polio at the age of 37. The disease left her weakened in her legs and right arm. She was confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life and had to teach herself to paint in oils with her left (much stronger) hand. Because of her physical limitations, she painted on a smaller scale and focused on works she could more easily do from a wheel chair, such as views from her window and still lifes. Despite her disability, Blaine traveled extensively to Europe and the Caribbean, and kept up a demanding painting schedule until shortly before her death.
Blaine wrote that “the moment of the dying of the light is my favorite moment to paint landscape. For me, this time is a great flaring up of life and a revelation. I become more alive, too. It’s a time when I gather my energies — I am physically more alert to my surroundings. The main reason is the excitement that the color takes on — it illuminates everything.”
I admire Blaine’s color sense (particularly in many of her watercolors), her appreciation of the natural world, and her astonishing fortitude. For more details of her life, I would recommend Cathy Curtis’ biography, Alive Still: Nell Blaine, American Painter. Additional works are featured at https://www.tibordenagy.com, https://www.reynoldsgallery.com/artists/nell-blaine/ and https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/Lots/SearchResult?filter_value=nell+blaine
