Alfred Maurer

About

Alfred Maurer was one of the most innovative and talented Americans to contribute to Cubism. He is widely recognized for having created Cubist compositions that transcended derivative interpretations of this European art invention, having formulated a distinctive Cubist style instead. His in-depth knowledge of Cubism was nourished by his close association with Leo and Gertrude Stein.

Maurer was inspired by the spatial orientation and coloristic palette of Braque and Picasso’s Synthetic Cubist work, and also by the interpenetrating planes characteristic to their earlier “high analytic” paintings. He had an inherent ability to layer shapes and forms, masterfully juxtaposing transparent fragments and passages, and turning traditional still life arrangements into complex modernist essays.

Known for his expressive brushwork, Maurer painted flower studies in a range of media including oils, gouache, tempera and watercolor. He experimented and often combined these mediums in unexpected juxtapositions. His florals are energetic and scintillating. These flower paintings were rendered with a richness and vibrancy of color, while his wonderful freedom of paint handling at times reads like a kind of personal calligraphy.

Exhibitions with Somerville Manning Gallery

2022        American Masters: Art of the 19th – 21st Centuries

2018        Wyeth to Warhol: Modern Masters From Past and Present

2010        American Masters: Art of the 19th, 20th, & 21st Centuries

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