Robert Jakob: Garden Notes: Paintings on Paper

From September 16th through October 31st The Drawing Room in East Hampton is pleased to present "Robert Jakob: Garden Notes," an exhibition of paintings on paper of flowers he has planted over the last thirty years in his extraordinary garden in the hamlet of Springs. Jakob’s intuitive brushwork follows the lines and expressive gestures of poppies, salvia, fennel and daylilies as they peak and wilt. This body of work introduces an important new voice to the history of expressionist artists inspired by the beauty of nature on the East End of Long Island.

Born and raised in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jakob studied painting at the Werkkunstschule with Vincent Weber and other Bauhaus trained artists. After living in Greece and North Africa he arrived in New York in 1964 and began his career in graphic design with Will Burtin. He then spent 24 years working with Arnold Saks, where his projects included exhibition plans for the Metropolitan Museum and graphic design for the Jewish Museum. In 1990 he retired and moved to the Springs, turning full time to painting and his passion for planting the garden which became his exclusive subject.

While some works in this exhibition are portraits of a single flower, others are paintings of several lilies or poppies offering many blossoms in a single composition. Delivered with loose, observant gestures, Jakob captures the lean and fall of proud stems supporting miraculous petal structures in the air. Painting from life and memory his loaded brush traces the horticultural contours with a palette that shares the potency of the flower petals themselves. These striking series are reminiscent of Momoyama iris screens and also bring to mind the watercolors of Emil Nolde.

See below for full press release and selected works.