Henry M. Gasser

A master at watercolor and oil his work consisted of, in his own words, "everyday subjects that are available to most of us-street scenes, back yards, trees, old houses, etc. I looked for them in front of houses, in backyards, public parks, and elsewhere." He also painted numerous harbor and fishing village scenes. As QuestRoyal put it, "His work demonstrated a sense of place and feeling that most could identify with. He often "exhausted a subject" which becomes evident when viewing the body of his work for many of his paintings are just slight variations of previously completed compositions." We see a more important theme in Gasser's work, what he called "solitary silence" created by a focus on backyard's (a Grabach favorite) tenements, collapsing structures, and junk-heap vehicles. The sense of entropy is very strong, and goes deeper than the urban decay. There is often the small black figure, we call the "lurker," who is bent under the grotesque landscape as he struggles against darkness and stormy weather. This is certainly an image of the artist's own struggle to understand the human environment. Our work is serene, showing nature at peace, and we see it as 'pure' Gasser.