I will leave some one out, and for that I am sorry. I have already touched on some prominent pastelists whom I favor, such as Wolf Kahn, Diane Townsend, Diana Ponting, and Kitty Wallis. Please have a look at a few more great lights of contemporary pastel work.Daniel Greene.
I ducked into the Art Students League, by accident really. I was just passing on the street on my way to view some Wolf Kahn art on 57th in Manhattan. In the lobby of the ASL hangs a famous portrait by Greene:
Robert Beverly Hale
Former Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Collection: Art Students League, New York, NY
Pastel 50" x 36"
I was mesmerized by this chance opportunity to get up close to a great work. I could see free gestural strokes not easily noted by just looking at the work in print. The life in the colors, and the whimsical border given to a conservative subject - fantastic!
See also:
Harvey Dinnerstein.
Short bio. If anyone makes the case for the supremacy of figurative work, it is Dinnerstein.
I first became aware of his work through The Pastel Journal, which featured his pastels. I get the feeling he works primarily in oil, but I include him here as one of the great lights of pasteldom.
Is there anyone in NYC with a desire to fill a need? Get Harvey Dinnersteins' presence on-line spiffed up. He is the most underrepresented genius artist on the net.
When I grow up I will return to the figurative work of my youth, and I will stick myself to Dinnerstein like a fly to paper. In fact, I am moving to NYC to begin classes tomorrow. CYaL8r!
Alan Flatmann Cover, TPJof New Orleans was this years' Hall of Fame honoree at the PSA Annual Exhibition. He likes cityscapes and figures. Also, this artist makes the case for darks (black?) in his lively images.
Albert Handell is a man of accomplishment, who has spread the wealth, so to speak, by authoring a number of books including many in the pastel genre. You don't need to feel compelled to send me this one, but I wouldn't refuse it, either.
Greene's portrait in pastel floored me, the dress, skin tones, arg! It's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHis ability to capture the sitter is peerless. I'd like to see another painter/pastelist who can do that.
ReplyDeleteIf I were concentrating on the portrait, I would have to get into one of his workshops without fail.
I would just mop his floors and make cups of tea just to get a chance to watch him work LOL!
ReplyDeleteActually, he has put out a video where he instructs by demonstration. Maybe someone could buy it, and trade it around.
ReplyDeleteI won't, as I'm saving up my money and silver bullets to try and find an out-of-print video of Wolf Kahn.
I saw a picture of their (D. Greene's wife is the fantastic Wendy Caporale, who made the cover of this month's Pastel Journal) studio, which is in this spacious (try cavernous) living room. That's right, I said living room.
His pastel tray is a massive table, with sunken compartments, where he places each half-stick in it's little slot.
Do grab a look at The Pastel Journal cover for April 07, and see Caporale's self portrait. Then, go look at the self portrait of Rosalba Carriera that I posted earlier this month.