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Carl Bretzke Art

American, b. 1954

Carl Bretzke is known for his nighttime paintings, also known as Nocturnes. It is in these nocturne paintings that Bretzke can investigate the different colors emanating from different light sources, both natural and artificial. Luminous tonal qualities enchant the viewer.  Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes and plein air landscapes. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…the artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan School." Bretzke holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado, where he also received a minor in fine art. He has also trained extensively under Plein Air Painters of America signature artist Joseph Paquet.

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Artist: Carl Bretzke
"Great Lakes South Shore" American Realist oil painting of sunset over harbor
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Great Lakes South Shore" is an oil painting of a sunset over a harbor in Minnesota. Painted en plein air by Midwest realist painter Carl Bretzke. Framed. Signed "C.Bretzke" lower left Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Villa After Dark" realist nocturne painting of Italian farmhouse & dinner party
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Villa After Dark" is a realist nocturne painting of Italian farmhouse & dinner party under the lights. Framed. Signed at bottom left. Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Sun Breaking Through/Port Salerno" - 2023 American Realist seascape in Florida
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An Oil painting of boats in a marina. Above, the suns rays pierce through the clouds. American realist painter Carl Bretzke is particularly adept at nocturne scenes which ooze in d...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

Florida Sky - 2023 American Realist sunset on beach, en plein air oil painting
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a cloud filled sky at sunset. The foreground is set along a sandy beach, white sand meeting dunes, tire tracks in the sand lead our eye to a pair of figures, seate...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Perched" oil painting of California coastline, large rock on beach, figures
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Oil painting of figures interacting with a large rock formation on a beach in California. A lone figure has climbed atop to sit perched up on the rock, and through the alcove, we see...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Remnants of Winter" oil painting, American realist tree-lined street, suburbia
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Oil painting of a neighborhood in the winter. A quiet, tree-lined street is sprinkled with snow. A yellow sky blends into blue and above. Frame dimensions: 32 x 44 inches Artist ...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Coral Cove Rock" oil painting, beach sunbathers gathering around large boulder
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Coral Cove Rock" is an oil painting by contemporary artist, Carl Bretzke. Coral Cove is located in Jupiter Florida, known for it's large rocks along the b...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen, Panel

"December Snow on Cars" 2023 Snowy American Realist painting in Minnesota
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of cars parked along the street, coated with snow. Christmas lights sparkle in the yard behind the cars, a modest ranch house leaves the front porch light on, welcomi...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

Great Lakes Grandeur - 2023 American Realist Sunset Oil Painting in Minnesota
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of sun rays peeking through a clouded sky at one of the Great Lakes. 28.8 x 41 inches, framed American realist painter Carl Bretzke is particularly adept at noctur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Tuscany Hillside" Oil painting of rural Italian landscape, dirt road on green
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a landscape in Tuscany. Rolling hills, a winding dirt-road, Cyprus trees, and a small farm-house cottage, underneath a pale blue sky. Rows of vines descend the hil...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

"By the Lagoon" Oil painting of tropical swimming cove, figures in bathing suits
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a tropical landscape. Crystal teal-blue water is surrounded by verdant bushes and palm trees, which cast dappled shadows onto the sand. A few figures splash around...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"1 E" American Realist oil painting of a parked vintage car outside cottage
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"1 E" is an American Realist painting of a parked vintage car at a motel in Florida. Framed. Signed at bottom left. Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Red Motorcycle and Ben Fenske" artist walks away from painting, impressionist
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Red Motorcycle and Ben Fenske" is an oil painting of the artist's friend, Ben Fenske (another successful artist) as he walks away from him. This painting was painted in 2014, one of...
Category

2010s Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Dying to Stay in Maui" oil painting, Hawaiian landscape, sunshine on graveyard
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Oil painting of a Maui Landscape. Painted en plein air at a graveyard, Bretzke titles this work humorously, "Dying to Stay in Maui". Two figures stand in a graveyard, on a Hawaiian ...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Triumph" oil painting of old automobile found amongst trees in the forest
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a verdant, wooded area, painted en-plein air in Arkansas. An old, rusted, abandoned race-car, a BMW Triumph, is the focal point behind a time-honored stone wall. D...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Mary in the Garden" Oil painting Garden w Holy Statue Icon, American Cowboy
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a rural property on a sunny day in the United States. A man wears a cowboy hat, a denim shirt, bandana over his face, and boots, while holding a shotgun. He's walking with determination to the left of the scene, with a medium sized black dog following him in tow. The bed of a pickup truck catches light in the distance, parked beside the residential structure. A farmhouse with a metal roof, and a wide-hooded porch, stands tall, offering shade and comfort, especially with cushioned armchairs to sit on out-front. A few electrical poles reach up towards the sky, confirming the contemporary time frame. In the foreground, a garden is fenced in with wire and wood. A statuette of the Virgin Mary is placed within this fenced garden, absorbing sunlight alongside the plants. An apt depiction of contemporary Americana...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Looking For Shade" oil painting of beach-goers huddling behind lifeguard stand
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Oil painting of beachgoers literally looking for shade from the sun on a beach in Laguna, California. Painted by award-winning plein air painter Carl Bretzke. Framed in a tradition...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Division Street at Night" 2023 American realist painting street scene nocturne
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a street in Sag Harbor, NY. A simple, modest scene set in the Fabulous Hamptons. This section of Division street is where a number of local churches are based and ...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Sag Harbor Pier" American Realist landscape of boats and a sunset in small town
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Sag Harbor Pier" is an American Realist oil painting; a seascape of boats and a sunset in small town Sag Harbor, Long Island. Framed. Signed. Carl Bretzke is a representational pa...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Late Dusk at the Boatyard" 2022 oil painting, sunset, pickup truck, boat, palm
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Bretzke depicts a beautifully transient moment in a boatyard; a man walks home with his dog as the sunset glows behind them. Framed Dimensions: 19.5 x 23.5 inches Artist Bio: Car...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Beach Photo" 2021 oil painting of figures photographed at the sea, blue ocean
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Beach Photo" is an oil painting by Carl Bretzke, of three figures, young men or boys, standing alongside one another before a vast expanse of blue ocean. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Westview Avalon Harbor" American Realist seascape in California with blue tones
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Westview Avalon Harbor" is an American Realist seascape in California with blue tones. Set on Catalina Island, rolling hills make up the horizon. A valley of palm trees sweep toward the shoreline. Boats rest and sail forward in the harbor, a single sailor is seen standing in a small powerboat in the foreground. Framed. Signed. Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Unshoveled Sidewalks" Oil painting American Realist of suburban snow scene 2023
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Contemporary oil painting by American realist painter, Carl Bretzke. A snow covered winter landscape at night. A quaint residential neighborhood appears silent after a heavy snowfall...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Metro Supperclub" oil painting of neon lights downtown street scene nocturne
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Oil painting of a bustling street at night. Carl Bretzke cheekily renames the street "C. Bretzke Av" in his rendition of the scene. A bright squiggle of blue neon light ribbons acros...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Historic Village Morning" oil painting, colorful colonial homes, architecture
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of the exteriors of a grouping of historic homes, in various colors, on a sunny day. A white picket fence encases a garden in the foreground. Dimensions: 12 x 24 in...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Leaving Sag Harbor by Boat" oil painting, seascape of powerboat sepia tone
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting by American Painter Carl Bretzke. This waterscape was painted en plein air in Sag Harbor, NY. A boat heads away from the viewer, toward the tree-lined horizon at twi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Moon Over Back Lot" oil painting of Boatyard at Night, full moon through clouds
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a boat yard at nighttime. Boats at rest behind a locked chain-link fence. Street lights glow with hot orange auras. The full moon peeks out glowing a cool bright w...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Hubs Landing
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Hubs Landing" is an oil painting of a marina. Painted en plein air, by Carl Bretzke. Painting Dimensions: 12 x 16 inches Framed dimensions: 17 x 21 inches Carl Bretzke is a rep...
Category

2010s American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Painter Friend and Friends" contemporary realist figurative painting w Fenske
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A painting of painter, Ben Fenske, his muse, Beatrice, and his dog. Sitting in front of and underneath Fenske's 2009 painting, "The Break Up." The artist comforts the dog with a nice...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Autumn Old Cars
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes and plein-aire landscapes. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, includin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Impressionist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Another Day" oil painting of California Street along hillside, americana
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Another Day" is an oil painting on panel. A winding California road snakes its way up a hill. Houses are perched at the top overlooking brown scrub and ro...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"House of Refuge Museum" oil painting of Historical Society Martin County FL
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a landscape in Florida. The House of Refuge Museum showcases historic work from entrepreneurs and inventors. Bretzke captured it on ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"The Neighborhood" Oil painting, parking lot, americana, cars, historic houses
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A winter day in one little corner of the neighborhood, where a minivan is parked in a mostly empty lot. Colorful traditional homes are in the background. A typical scene in American ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Pier Parking Sag Harbor" oil painting, streetscape in village w windmill & flag
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A small oil painting by Carl Bretzke. A fleeting moment on Sag Harbor's Long Wharf in springtime, magnolia tree is in full bloom behind the historic windmill. The american flag is ra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Carl Bretzke Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Carl Bretzke art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Carl Bretzke art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Carl Bretzke in oil paint, paint, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Carl Bretzke art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bob Stuth-Wade, Danny Heller, and Tom Swimm. Carl Bretzke art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,400 and tops out at $14,200, while the average work can sell for $4,000.

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