Storm Line, John Talleur

John Talleur taught for 40 years at the University of Kansas, where he built its first printmaking studio and established the printmaking program. He is known for producing dramatic works with religious imagery. When Talleur painted Storm Line he was exploring both religious subjects and the human form. In the center of the painting a human lies on their back with arms reaching upward. A dark shape—resembling a horse—seems to be standing over the form. 

Primarily a printmaker, Talleur said “Painting craft is too easy—this is one of its prime dangers; the printing craft is painful—one of its unpleasant features.” Even so, he painted extensively toward the end of his life. The deliberate and technical process of printmaking is evident in many of Talleur’s other paintings, which resemble woodcuts. Few of Talleur’s works are as painterly as Storm Line, but its contrasting colors create his characteristically dramatic atmosphere.