MAGAZINE ARTICLE
Chester County Town & Country Living
Art Review by Cathy Viksjo
William O. Ewing III -- A chance encounter in a New York bookstore led William O. Ewing III to just the book he needed, one which gave him the answers he had been seeking ever since he was an undergraduate art student in the late 60s.
It was a fortuitous event in the mid-70s which Bill Ewing remembers clearly, as well he should, since the technical formulas for his subsequent success as a painter were found in the pages of an esoteric text researched by a controversial Frenchman named Jacques Maroger who died in the 1920s.
Apparently, Maroger loved the Old Masters -- particularly the Dutch and Flemish artists of the 17th century -- as much as Ewing did.
"I had gone to this bookstore on the East Side at the suggestion of Jamie Wyeth," recalled Ewing, 48, who was born and raised in Chester County. "I wanted to learn more about the techniques of the masters, like Vermeer, Hals, Rembrandt and Rubens."
His research into the brilliant techniques of these 17th-century greats took him to Manhattan's East Side, where Bill told the store owner what he was looking for, something that would teach him their methods. A woman standing nearby overheard the conversation and volunteered the title of perhaps the most influential book Bill Ewing has ever read. "She said to me, 'Oh, you want The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Old Masters, by Maroger,' " Bill related.
This volume proved to be pivotal in his development as a portrait painter and still life artist. "Maroger spent his life researching these formulas and recipes. He made a few mistakes, but his research was invaluable," said Bill. By digging into musty manuscripts, Maroger was able to revive painting formulas which had been lost for centuries. And for Bill Ewing, the information he gleaned from these pages catapulted his career into the limelight.
Considered the true heir to the Dutch and Flemish schools which flourished in the 1600s, Bill's genuine love and enthusiasm for their rare techniques is evident, even at first meeting. The oil jelly of Rubens, for example, is a combination of cooked linseed oil and mastic varnish which Bill would never be without. "It's a medium, a vehicle. It's very effective in the painting process. Maroger claimed that Rubens started it. It's great stuff," he said.
Bill even added his own original touch by fine tuning Maroger's recipe for the "black oil" of the Venetians. The smoky rancid product which resulted from mixing the ingredients, as listed by Maroger, was totally useless until Bill added water to the oil. "All the fat settles out. It never turns black," he said. Since then, his discovery has been introduced to faculty members at the prestigious Arts Students League in New York.
Using these antique recipes, Bill has consistently turned out brilliant portraits and breathtaking still lifes, making him one of the nation's leading artists.
His portraits command $20,000 to $25,000. He has had numerous portraits commissioned by private collectors and leading business and cultural organizations both here and abroad. Ewing, who considers Rembrandt his hero, has painted many notable people, such as Richard Thornburgh, former U.S. Attorney General and Governor of Pennsylvania. Most recently, former U.S. Congressman Bob Walker, Chairman, Committee on Science, U. S. House of Representatives, both unveiled in the nation's capital.
But it is in his still lifes, primarily, that we recognize Bill's genius.
Reflections, a 1994 oil on panel, 36X22, is a case in point. Ordinary objects, arranged in a well-balanced composition, become beautiful in the artist's eye. Lovely china, a polished silver tea service which bears his reflections, and fruits and flowers, are set against a rich crimson red table cloth.
Bill's astonishing illusionism, a hallmark of his style, is identical in spirit and form to Dutch artists who had learned to reproduce nature as faithfully as a mirror.
As art historian Ernst Gombrich observed, these 17th-century painters had discovered the sheer beauty of the visible world.
Without knowing it themselves, these specialists began to demonstrate that the subject of a painting is far less important than might have been thought. "Just as trivial words may provide the text for a beautiful song, so trivial objects can make a perfect picture," Gombrich wrote.
In this respect, Bill Ewing has revived an ancient tradition in our modern age. Early on, he knew that this is what he wanted to do. "I knew in my mind's eye what I was after, to find a way to achieve what they did. They were great technicians. The result was a strong illusionism."
In the 60s, while professors and students praised the merits of Abstract Expressionism and called Bill a 'mad postcard painter,' he would study art books and go to the museums, always gravitating to the 17th century galleries. He explained, "I just noted that these painters had achieved the strongest illusionism. They were the masters who could most convincingly create the strongest illusion of three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface."
Bill holds a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Idaho where he was asked to set up a course in stone lithography. Closer to home, he studied on a post-graduate level with Arthur De Costa at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
De Costa recognized his talent at once. He said, "He is a very strongly talented, meticulous and adventuresome painter whose brilliance and bravura transcend any 'school' concept. Bill's approach to art permits a kind of fluency of handling and translucency of color that his personal inner vision demands. He is one of the best technicians I have ever known who is going about his work with intelligence and tremendous dedication."
Regionally, Bill's paintings have been exhibited in many galleries and juries art shows. He is the recipient of many awards and is represented by the Somerville Manning Gallery in Greenville, Delaware, and the David David Gallery in Philadelphia.
His love of the great 17th-century Dutch painters guides his every stroke of the brush. By seeking to compete and even surpass their masterpieces, Bill Ewing has set before him a challenge which will last a lifetime.
For More Information Contact:
BILL EWING
Tel: 877-340-3639 (toll free)
FAX: 610-430-3639
Email: Bewing3@Verizon.net