ZUBEUM OF ART
Meet the Zube’s
With a life-long love of painting and travel, Robert Zube has developed his own theories on art and art history. His views are influenced by his education in Anthropology, which is why you’ll notice that he refers to artwork as either paintings or artifacts interchangeably. Taking the opposing view of Ernst Gombrich, who said that there was no such thing as Art only artists, Mr. Zube posits that there are no artists, only the surviving artifacts that they leave behind.
In 1972, Bob married his wife and fellow artist, Eileen. Following a six month honeymoon traveling throughout Europe they returned home to open a business. Eileen is a talented and sought-after quilt designer and maker. While Bob’s travels influenced his paintings, Eileen used her experience to inspire her beautifully intricate and complex designs, which are exhibited in the gallery as well.
Founded by Robert and Eileen Zube, the Zubeum of Art is a virtual museum of art that consists of eight different sections.
The entire Zubeum exists only on line and invites the visitor to see art through a new perspective. Each section of the Zubeum can be viewed much like a guided tour through a traditional museum. What makes this museum different from all other museums is that the paintings in each section are arranged on a continuum. The visitor can see the progression of his work and how it correlates to his theory that there is a science to art, at least when it comes to classifying paintings.
An Abbreviated History of Art
The origins of art began in the Paleolithic Era, approximately 40,000 BC with pictures and drawings made from natural pigments, engravings, and sculptures. Evidence of some of the earliest paintings can be found in caves in the Cro Magnon district of France and Spain. Ancient Egyptians depicted scenes of daily life on their temples and tombs starting around 3000 BC. As civilizations advanced, so did the techniques and artistic mediums.
Paintings throughout history were used to tell stories, celebrate religion, and announce an elevated social status. The subjects, colors and imagery often reflected the times in which they were created. Paintings in the Middle (or Dark) Ages, following the fall of the Roman Empires around 476 AD, appeared dark and brooding, often depicting brutal and gory subjects. During this time, it became especially popular to illustrate religious themes. As islands of literacy and higher learning, churches pioneered increasingly elaborate imagery, with decorated windows and colorful biblical pages depicting biblical scenes.
The invention of the printing press in Germany in 1450 ushered in the Era of the Old Masters in Western Europe. Artists attempted to present subjects in the same way a bystander would expect to see them with the naked eye.
In this way, the early masters were illusionists, creating the precursor to the as-yet-developed photographs.
Progressively, their forms and techniques evolved to present even more impressive recreations of scenes to capture and captivated their audience. With the invention of the first cameras in the 1830s, the Era of Modern Art began. The popularity of artists and their commissions began to fall off in response to the novelty, ease and price of photographs. Traditional artists, working with paint and brushes, were pushed to develop new ways to compete with the camera.. A study of artwork between 1840 and 1860 illustrates the introduction of interesting textures, surprising colors, and interpretive methods.
In the 1860s, rather than compete with the camera, masters like Pissarro and Monet began to examine photography to see what they could learn from this new technology.
They discovered that a photograph was the embodiment of the first impression of the camera. Capturing a first impression is exactly what the camera does. Responding to Monet’s new work “Impression Sunrise”, a critic called it Impressionism and the name stuck.
Speaking Engagements
With an encyclopedic knowledge of art history, Robert Zube is routinely booked on lecture circuits to discuss art, theory and painting. Eileen is also highly regarded and equally in demand on the topic of quilting. They are also available for private speaking engagements or panel discussions. Both Robert and Eileen invite your questions. Contact us via the online form or by email at zubeum@comcast.net.