Oil

The Big Pavilion and Coral Gables

Polka, John 1930-2006

2021.14

Kutzel, Ken

Donation

Donation by Ken Kutzel from the estate of Jane Van Dis

The Big PavilionCoral GablesKalamazoo River

31 in

23 in

Very Good

Curator’s Choice Exhibit

John Polka c. 1930 - 2006 The Big Pavilion At Night 1965 | oil on canvas Notes: John Polka studied both in Europe and, later, at Ox-Bow. In the 1960s, he opened a studio in Saugatuck, where he taught and painted landscapes and portraits of people and animals. Polka did several versions of the Big Pavilion. This very moody view was painted five years after the pavilion burned. The viewer’s perception of the image changes as the light of the passing day moves across the room. The water seems to glow in front of the building capturing the lost splendor of Saugatuck’s great icon. Collection: Saugatuck Douglas History Center Gift of: Friends of the Art Collection Accession: 2021.14.01

John Polka c. 1930 - 2006 The Big Pavilion At Night 1965 | oil on canvas Notes: American born, John Polka was raised in Germany. He studied both in Europe and, later, at the Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting. In the 1960s, he opened a studio in Saugatuck, where he taught and painted landscapes and portraits of people and animals. Polka did several versions of the Big Pavilion. This very moody view was painted five years after the pavilion burned. The viewer’s perception of the image changes as the light of the passing day moves across the room. The water seems to glow in front of the building capturing the lost splendor of Saugatuck’s great icon. Collection: Saugatuck Douglas History Center Gift of: Friends of the Art Collection Accession: 2021.14.01

From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery John Polka 1930-2006 The Big Pavilion and Coral Gables at Night 1965 | oil on canvas Born in the United States, John Polka spent part of his childhood in Germany during the 1940s. He returned to graduate from Saugatuck High School and then studied in Europe, at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, and later, at the Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting. In the 1960s, he opened a studio in Saugatuck, where he taught and painted landscapes and portraits of people and animals. Polka painted several versions of the Big Pavilion. This very moody view was painted five years after the pavilion burned in May of 1960. Its mysterious qualities may channel ideas of the collective unconscious from psychology popular in the visual arts in the post-World War Two era. Observe how your perception of the image changes as the light of the passing day moves across the room. The water seems to glow in front of the building capturing the lost splendor of Saugatuck’s great icon even sixty years after its untimely destruction. Gift of the SDHC Friends of Art Accession number 2021.14.01