Portraits. Suddenly they’re the rage. Every art critic/blogger seems to be showcasing someone’s new portrait of a hip-hop celebrity, or a museum’s retrospective of a newly discovered, been around a long time, figurative painter. The National Gallery held a portrait competition last summer and these are the finalists. Not many loosely painted or expressionist works. Of course I live near the figurative capital of the world; Philadelphia.
Peter Schjeldahl was one of the jurors and while I don’t agree with all the choices, in this interview he has a thoughtful take on how to look at art: ‘I think the most sensitive, intelligent, cultivated, exciting people I know in their interest to art do not register on the public level. I mean, they’re not part of institutional structures. They wouldn’t be caught dead in it.’
and this gem:Â ‘the only education that matters in aesthetics is self-education.’
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The following portraits are all from 1981-82 and are of friends, models – anyone who would sit long enough for me to paint them. Fond memories, gentler times.
Rosa in blue shirt. Oil on canvas, 35″x25″ 1982
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Teddy. Oil on canvas, 17″x15″ 1981
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Malcolm and Louise. Oil on canvas 30″x32″, 1982
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Neill. Oil on canvas, 34″x27″ 1981
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Bill. Oil on masonite, 28″x24″ 1982
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Girl with yellow background. Oil on canvas 30″x25″ 1982
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Rosa, nude. Oil on canvas, 37″x30″ 1982
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Self portrait. Oil on masonite, 25″x24″ 1982
Ahh, these bring back some memories. I love the ones of Neil, and of you. But the National Gallery portrait finalists strike me as grim. Check out this show from a few years back at Oglethorpe University here in GA – this is figurative painting – and portraits – done with a little more imagination, I think:
http://museum.oglethorpe.edu/slowpainting/
Yeah, but still a bit glossy and overworked for my tastes. I was hoping to see some more expressive work – like Alice Neel, Frank Auerbach or even someone like Jenny Saville…. or this guy: http://www.somepaintings.net/2008/Alex2008.html