"A Good Vintage"
by Klaus Strubelview biographyAcademic Painter of Fine Art / Art
Historian
We are in a historic cool wine cellar of a European Monastery in the 19th century.
Here we see a member of the Dominican
Order who is the Master of Wine, tasting the new vintage in anticipation of a good year.
The detail is in every feature, the way the he holds
the wine glass between his fingers while his senses are focused on the taste of the bouquet.
In his other hand he still holds his special funnel
glass. It is an authentic tool, - a mouth-blown glass suction-pipe with a wine collecting chamber. It then works as a funnel with which the wine
taster empties the wine into his glass.
While I was university student in Germany, I also studied Art History and traveled through Europe to
visit historic landmarks, museums, cathedrals and famous monasteries. I often took the opportunity to rent a boarding room in some of the famous
monasteries because you could learn so much about the history and the various fields of expertise, - especially the one that fascinated me: The making
of wine and champagne.
For ages, the brothers in their different orders have represented the highest level of culture. They were the keepers of
science, education, inventions, literature, fine art, music and developers of world famous champagne and excellent wines.
During wine tasting
in their cellars, I was surrounded by historic tools and equipment, hand carved casks and had wonderful talks with the cellarers.
These
lasting impressions inspired me to preserve certain situations in the life of the Masters of Winemaking.
The play of the feature in my works
tells whole stories. Each mime in their faces, their gestures, their hands and fingers and many more details, bring life into these captured moments.
Now and then, I inject a little touch of humor in circumstances of their life; after all, they are only human.
The artistic quality of my
painting contains historic details and authentic tools the winemakers worked with.
I want my paintings to be entertaining, conversational
pieces for the art collectors and at the same time to be very decorative