Constantin Kluge 1912 - 2003
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Constantin Kluge (1912 - 2003) "On the Seine" Oil on canvas, 28" x 38"
Constantin Kluge’s paintings show his captivation with the city of Paris, whether it is in the gaiety and animation of the flower markets, or the quiet serenity of the banks of the Seine. His skill in capturing changing sunlight with his characteristic, vigourous brush strokes, especially on the waters of the Seine or on picturesque harbours, is reminiscent of the plein-air paintings of the French Impressionists. Buildings tend to feature prominently in his paintings, possibly due to his background as an architect, but he is also renowned as an artist for his landscape paintings of the French countryside.
Constantin Kluge was born in Riga, Latvia on January 29th 1912 of Russian parents. Kluge’s father who graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Riga, was drafted into the Czar’s army in 1914. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing civil war caused the family to leave their home. They moved frequently, always eastwards and arrived in Manchuria in 1920. In 1925 they moved again to the French “concession” of Shanghai where Kluge graduated from the French Municipal High School. By the time he was seventeen he was a very active member of the Shanghai Arts Club. He was also very musical, studying the violin and cello. His parents decided that art was not a dependable career and in 1931 he left Shanghai for Paris to study architecture. He spent six years at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and graduated as a French Government Architect in 1937.
The years spent studying and living in the Latin Quarter of Paris had instilled in Kluge a strong attachment to the city and after graduating from college he stayed another six months in Paris to continue painting. When he finally returned to China, he practiced as an architect for some time, but after a successful exhibition of his paintings, he made the decision to take painting more seriously as a profession.
In mid 1946 he accepted an architectural post in Hong Kong and continued to paint in his spare time. In March 1950, with rumours that the Chinese Communists might invade Hong Kong, Kluge left Asia and returned to Paris. Already a mature and successful painter when he reached Paris, he gained considerable attention at the Paris Salon in 1951 and was given an award for his contribution that year. From that year on, he exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon and at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais, where he was awarded the Medaille d’Argent in 1961 as well as the special Raymond Perreau prize, given by the Taylor Foundation at the Salon. In 1962, he achieved the highest honour at the Salon, when he was awarded the coveted gold medal.
In 1990 Kluge was made a Chevallier of the Legion d’Honneur by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to art. The following year he was awarded the Grand Medal of the city of Senlis. In addition to his success as an artist, he was also a writer of considerable stature and his autobiography Constantin Kluge was published in 1987.
Constantin Kluge’s paintings show his captivation with the city of Paris, whether it is in the gaiety and animation of the flower markets, or the quiet serenity of the banks of the Seine. His skill in capturing changing sunlight with his characteristic vigourous brush strokes, especially on the waters of the Seine or on picturesque harbours, is reminiscent of the plein-air paintings of the French Impressionists. Buildings tend to feature prominently in his paintings, possibly due to his background as an architect, but he is also renowned as an artist for his landscape paintings of the French countryside.
Constantin Kluge was born in Riga, Latvia on January 29th 1912 of Russian parents. Kluge’s father who graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Riga, was drafted into the Czar’s army in 1914. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing civil war caused the family to leave their home. They moved frequently, always eastwards and arrived in Manchuria in 1920. In 1925 they moved again to the French “concession” of Shanghai where Kluge graduated from the French Municipal High School. By the time he was seventeen he was a very active member of the Shanghai Arts Club. He was also very musical, studying the violin and cello. His parents decided that art was not a dependable career and in 1931 he left Shanghai for Paris to study architecture. He spent six years at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and graduated as a French Government Architect in 1937.
The years spent studying and living in the Latin Quarter of Paris had instilled in Kluge a strong attachment to the city and after graduating from college he stayed another six months in Paris to continue painting. When he finally returned to China, he practiced as an architect for some time, but after a successful exhibition of his paintings, he made the decision to take painting more seriously as a profession.
In mid 1946 he accepted an architectural post in Hong Kong and continued to paint in his spare time. In March 1950, with rumours that the Chinese Communists might invade Hong Kong, Kluge left Asia and returned to Paris. Already a mature and successful painter when he reached Paris, he gained considerable attention at the Paris Salon in 1951 and was given an award for his contribution that year. From that year on, he exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon and at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais, where he was awarded the Medaille d’Argent in 1961 as well as the special Raymond Perreau prize, given by the Taylor Foundation at the Salon. In 1962, he achieved the highest honour at the Salon, when he was awarded the coveted gold medal.
In 1990 Kluge was made a Chevallier of the Legion d’Honneur by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to art. The following year he was awarded the Grand Medal of the city of Senlis. In addition to his success as an artist, he was also a writer of considerable stature and his autobiography Constantin Kluge was published in 1987.
Constantin Kluge was born in Riga, Latvia on January 29th 1912 of Russian parents. Kluge’s father who graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Riga, was drafted into the Czar’s army in 1914. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing civil war caused the family to leave their home. They moved frequently, always eastwards and arrived in Manchuria in 1920. In 1925 they moved again to the French “concession” of Shanghai where Kluge graduated from the French Municipal High School. By the time he was seventeen he was a very active member of the Shanghai Arts Club. He was also very musical, studying the violin and cello. His parents decided that art was not a dependable career and in 1931 he left Shanghai for Paris to study architecture. He spent six years at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and graduated as a French Government Architect in 1937.
The years spent studying and living in the Latin Quarter of Paris had instilled in Kluge a strong attachment to the city and after graduating from college he stayed another six months in Paris to continue painting. When he finally returned to China, he practiced as an architect for some time, but after a successful exhibition of his paintings, he made the decision to take painting more seriously as a profession.
In mid 1946 he accepted an architectural post in Hong Kong and continued to paint in his spare time. In March 1950, with rumours that the Chinese Communists might invade Hong Kong, Kluge left Asia and returned to Paris. Already a mature and successful painter when he reached Paris, he gained considerable attention at the Paris Salon in 1951 and was given an award for his contribution that year. From that year on, he exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon and at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais, where he was awarded the Medaille d’Argent in 1961 as well as the special Raymond Perreau prize, given by the Taylor Foundation at the Salon. In 1962, he achieved the highest honour at the Salon, when he was awarded the coveted gold medal.
In 1990 Kluge was made a Chevallier of the Legion d’Honneur by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to art. The following year he was awarded the Grand Medal of the city of Senlis. In addition to his success as an artist, he was also a writer of considerable stature and his autobiography Constantin Kluge was published in 1987.
Constantin Kluge’s paintings show his captivation with the city of Paris, whether it is in the gaiety and animation of the flower markets, or the quiet serenity of the banks of the Seine. His skill in capturing changing sunlight with his characteristic vigourous brush strokes, especially on the waters of the Seine or on picturesque harbours, is reminiscent of the plein-air paintings of the French Impressionists. Buildings tend to feature prominently in his paintings, possibly due to his background as an architect, but he is also renowned as an artist for his landscape paintings of the French countryside.
Constantin Kluge was born in Riga, Latvia on January 29th 1912 of Russian parents. Kluge’s father who graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Riga, was drafted into the Czar’s army in 1914. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing civil war caused the family to leave their home. They moved frequently, always eastwards and arrived in Manchuria in 1920. In 1925 they moved again to the French “concession” of Shanghai where Kluge graduated from the French Municipal High School. By the time he was seventeen he was a very active member of the Shanghai Arts Club. He was also very musical, studying the violin and cello. His parents decided that art was not a dependable career and in 1931 he left Shanghai for Paris to study architecture. He spent six years at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and graduated as a French Government Architect in 1937.
The years spent studying and living in the Latin Quarter of Paris had instilled in Kluge a strong attachment to the city and after graduating from college he stayed another six months in Paris to continue painting. When he finally returned to China, he practiced as an architect for some time, but after a successful exhibition of his paintings, he made the decision to take painting more seriously as a profession.
In mid 1946 he accepted an architectural post in Hong Kong and continued to paint in his spare time. In March 1950, with rumours that the Chinese Communists might invade Hong Kong, Kluge left Asia and returned to Paris. Already a mature and successful painter when he reached Paris, he gained considerable attention at the Paris Salon in 1951 and was given an award for his contribution that year. From that year on, he exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon and at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais, where he was awarded the Medaille d’Argent in 1961 as well as the special Raymond Perreau prize, given by the Taylor Foundation at the Salon. In 1962, he achieved the highest honour at the Salon, when he was awarded the coveted gold medal.
In 1990 Kluge was made a Chevallier of the Legion d’Honneur by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to art. The following year he was awarded the Grand Medal of the city of Senlis. In addition to his success as an artist, he was also a writer of considerable stature and his autobiography Constantin Kluge was published in 1987.
