Bronze Hound's Art Collection: Clyde W. Kunz - "Moonlight Encampment", An Old Oil Painting

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Clyde W. Kunz - "Moonlight Encampment", An Old Oil Painting

This painting came from yet another online thrift store auction. At the time I saw it, I was negotiating to buy a very old log cabin out in the woods, and I thought this painting of an Indian canoe beached on a moonlit lake was perfect for the living room wall. The pictures on the auction site were small and not very clear, but it was obviously old. When it arrived at my door and I finally got a good look at it, I saw the Indians seated around a campfire. The painting is so dark that I hadn't noticed them before!

I'm not sure of the medium (what type of paint it is), perhaps it's oil or tempera, and it appears to be painted on some kind of board. I believe the painting dates to the 1920's or thereabouts, but I haven't taken it out of the original frame to see if there is something written on the back. There is no date on the front, but the piece definitely has some age to it. All I have to go by is the signature - Clyde W. Kunz. There have been enough Clyde W. Kunz's appearing throughout history that the actual artist's biography may never be known - in the period contemporary with the approximate date of this painting I've found at least four, living in very different parts of the country.

There is no title on the piece anywhere, so I've taken to calling it "Moonlight Encampment". My photo shows the painting as much lighter than it actually is. In reality it was painted in very dark tones. There is a bit of glare from the light on the right side of my photos - sorry about that.

If anyone has any info on either this piece or the artist, please let me know! This one has been frustrating my efforts at research for a couple years now.