Gantner lives and paints in the very southeastern French region that spawned the best works of Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin and Cezzane. What continues to draw artists to Provence and the Rhone Valley? “It is the clarity of light, and the idyllic climate, says Gantner, who has painted several pieces for Yost’s international art gallery, located at 388 State Street in Downtown Salem. “The special quality of light is partly the result of the so-called Mistral winds,” Yost explains. “These strong westerly winds remove the dust from the atmosphere, greatly increasing visibility.” Yost also reports that the extraordinary landscapes and terraced cafes that attracted the 19th century impressionists exist to this very day.
Others featured in the new gallery exhibit, entitled “Art in Bloom,” are Russian artists Svetlana Valueva and Vladimir Volegov; S. Sam Park, another Korean-born painter now living in southern California; Gerald Mendez of Lima, Peru; Joan Colomer, a leading Spanish landscape artist, and Brian Davis, a Californian known for his luminous floral art.