Video - The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler

Check out this interview with Scott Schweigert, Curator of Art & Civilization, about the exhibition, "Remembering the Battle of Gettysburg: The Civil War Art of Mort Kunstler," April 26 - July 28, 2013 at the Reading Public Museum.
http://youtu.be/ufHeNNk_mFk 

New Release Debut and Print Signing

Mort Künstler will be in Gettysburg on June 1st and Winchester on June 2nd for a print signing and the debut of his new release, Pickett's Charge. Pickett's Charge is the second painting in the "Tribute to a Legend" series.

Saturday, June 1, 2013
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
King James Galleries of Gettysburg
15 Baltimore Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325

Sunday, June 2, 2013
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
King James Galleries of Winchester
161 Prosperity Drive, Suite 104
Winchester, VA 22602

For more information please call: (855) 855 - 1863

Opening Reception: Meet Mort Künstler

In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address (which is being observed in 2013), the Reading Public Museum will exhibit nearly 30 paintings, etchings, and sketches by renowned historical artist Mort Künstler. The exhibition, Remembering the Battle of Gettysburg: The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler, opens in the museum’s American Gallery on Friday, April 26, and continues through July 28.

Reading will be the first venue to display his newest work, titled Pickett's Charge, Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. This exhibition is presented locally by Fulton banks/Clermont Wealth Strategies.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 26 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m., including a “meet and greet” with the artist, a lecture by Mr. Künstler on Art of the Civil War (from 6-7 p.m.), and a book signing opportunity. The cost is $20 for members and $30 for non-members, and includes wine and light hors d’oeuvres. Reservations are required – call 610-371-5850 x223.

Where:
Reading Public Museum
500 Museum Road
Reading, Pennsylvania 19611

When:
Friday, April 26, 2013
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Details:
Event admission is $20.00 for members and $30.00 for non-members.
Reservations are required – call 610-371-5850 x223.

Exhibit shows human moments of Civil War

Exhibit shows human moments of Civil War

The T&D • March 14, 2013 12:00 pm  •  Special to The T&D

COLUMBIA — Mort Künstler’s Civil War art is known around the world and is prized by collectors. The South Carolina State Museum’s exhibit of his paintings, “For Us the Living: The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler,” has drawn praise and interest among art enthusiasts and historians alike.

But for all the expectations of battle and heroism the subject of the war conjures, Künstler just as often goes for the smaller moments, the tender asides, the very human stories that counterbalance the often dehumanizing aspects of combat.

“Each painting tells a story,” Curator of History JoAnn Zeise said. “Sometimes that story concerns the chaos of epic battles. Other times, the story is intimate and personal.”

“The Gunner and the Colonel” portrays the full-scale combat of the Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C., in 1865, a bloody conflict that was “hand-to-hand for nearly six hours,” according to New York soldier Herman Clarke.

As a contrast to that heart-pumping action scenes, Künstler turns his hand to moments of tenderness, kindness and calm.

In “Especially for You,” Künstler presents a quiet gesture of gratitude among a tumult of rejoicing. As Stonewall Jackson’s troops march triumphantly through Winchester, Va., after having routed Union forces, a little girl holding a basket of fruit offers an apple to a young soldier as the townspeople cheer the marching column of boys in gray.

One of the most poignant scenes is “How Real Soldiers Live.” As Jackson, Lee and other officers enjoy a toast over a hot turkey dinner on Christmas 1862, a lone sentry stands his post in the freezing snow outside, looking longingly through the window at the comforts he can’t share.

“Christmas was a time when soldiers tried to put the stress and horror of war aside, even for a moment,” Zeise said. “And that is what Mr. Künstler captures so well, moments that help us understand the human stories of that terrible conflict.”

Künstler’s paintings demonstrate that war is not all — or even mostly — battle, blood or glory. It’s life going on between the moments of conflict, and in “For Us the Living,” Künstler shows that life brilliantly.

The exhibit can be seen through April 7 in the fourth-floor Recent Acquisitions Gallery.