Oscar Durand

Science and art have a lot in common. Take one tiny human cell; it not only contains the DNA that is the essence of who we are, but it also contains the genetic makeup of those who’ve gone centuries before us. In the same way, a masterful work of art is the culmination of an artist’s life’s experiences, his emotions, his ideas, creativity and most importantly, the knowledge that he gains through studying masters of fine art. Oscar Durand’s paintings are uniquely his own, yet his sense of design and technique is based on the solid foundation of artistic knowledge that has been handed down to us embedded in the timeless works of such masters as Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Rembrandt.

Many artists can recall a single event, usually in childhood, where the spark of what is called talent is ignited. For Oscar, it was during a visit to the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was just 14, when upon viewing an original moody and luminescent landscape by Rembrandt, he experienced an awakening and compelling recognition of his God given talent. At that moment he understood that painting would be his life’s work.

As a young adult, Oscar wanted to learn the techniques used by the old masters, so he set out to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts as well as the Currier Museum in Manchester New Hampshire to study the style and technique of Masters of the past. This was an important step to his visual understanding because the original painting’s luminosity and brush strokes cannot be understood when seen on the pages of a book. Oscar continued to study the paintings at the museum’s to learn every technique they achieved. At the same time, he naturally developed his own style. Richer colors and increased luminosity is how Oscar enhances his paintings. He employees the sense of atmosphere, texture and light to create mood.