Last week the New York Times ran a wonderful review (Portraits Shockingly Intimate a Half-Century Ago Now Assume a Softer Patina) on a show of the work of Larry Rivers, put together by Guild Hall in East Hampton, Long Island: “Larry Rivers: Major Early Works”. I have never been a fan of Rivers’ modernist works, but the excitement factor in this particular “Great Nude” compelled to share this. In 1955 the painting Double Portrait of Berdie shocked the high culture’s sense of morality with an honest look at the human condition. Double Portrait of Berdie depicted the nude form of an old, over-weight woman who happens to be Rivers’ mother-in-law.

It’s tough to find Rivers’ painting shocking now, It seems so simple and honest. It’s a realistic, but compassionate look at a mature woman. It’s a shame Rivers did not pursue realistic painting much past the creation of this series of paintings. Perhaps we’d have several more Great Nudes to consider from this prolific artist.

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Larry Rivers: Double Portrait of Berdie (1955)

Scott here:

It is hard to imagine that the long summer nights of August are coming to close. But alas, here we are, Labor Day is around the corner, the Fall gallery showings will soon ramp up, and The Great Nude will be pushing into full throttle.

Rounding out our fourth and final Girls of Summer blog is painter Jeremy Lipking. The paintings of Jeremy Lipking are held in high regard by many atelier trained artists. His handling of paint is reminiscent of the work of John Singer Sargent and is able to translate the time of day by the way light falls on and around the skin of his models.

Further striking is how mature his work is for a fairly young painter. At 30 years old, Lipking has come to represent a new, up-and-coming generation of representational artists. If there were ever a painting that captured and solidified the essence of a waning summer season it would be this:

Lipking is represented by Arcadia Fine Arts in SoHo.

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Life drawing is a fundamental skill that an artist should always work on improving and maintaining. Regular visits to life-drawing classes to study the human form is a great way to develop observational skills and the hand-eye coordination that follows. If you are fortunate enough to find a studio that has a wider variety of models to present, take the opportunity to explore and challenge yourself.

In years past, I frequented the Salmagundi Club in New York City, where the plushly appointed wood-paneled interiors give a sense of the traditional atelier of the 19th Century. On one of my visits, their male model was an elderly gentleman. Who in excellent physical shape, presented a dignified figure no matter what pose he took. There is no greater challenge to the skills of observation than working with models that fall out of the definition of what many consider aesthetically pleasing in the nude. Every wrinkle and misshapen body part becomes a testament to the skills of observation.

As you can see from one of my sketches from the session, a well-assembled collection of those details organized into the formal pose, can come together to create an accurate portrait of a complete, recognizable individual. [Does anyone from the New York area recognize this model?]

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Merrel here, earlier this week, in honor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, The Great Nude began exploring figurative artist from china. Today I’ll focus on the modern and contemporary figurative artists coming out of China today.

Du Xinjian

To understand Du Xinjian’s work, it is important to understand how he works:

“The world in my paintings embodies all kinds of human desires and ideas. My dreamscapes are meant to evoke an “absent-minded[ness]” towards reality.“

True, Xinjian’s paintings appear as though they have been plucked from an ethereal dreamscape. His images juxtapose the human figure fantastically with the surreal.

Xinjian graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and began exhibiting in the United States in the early 2000’s, including Art Scene New York.  In addition to drawing from the vastness of his imagination, Xinjian also draws on his cultural roots, inspired by the writings of the ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuan Ming.

Much of Xinjian’s work appears fleeting, like the remnants of a dream. The representational human form appears as one may imagine it, a dream state; disconnected, slightly off, yet consistently symbolizing the self.

Xinjian’s works evokes Belgian surrealist René Magritte as both artist place day-to-day objects within a non-ordinary context. For example, Magritte’s 1935 piece La Magie Noire:

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Salvador Dali: Painting and Film

June 29 - September, 2008

I love Salvador Dali’s work, and it had a huge influence on my own art work. I had studied his painting career, as most do in art school, becoming quite familiar with his techniques, the components of his visual language, and the professional mystic that he managed quite efficiently throughout his long career. I even visited his fortress-like museum north of Barcelona when I went to Spain. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about the artist.

The exhibit now running at the Museum of Modern Art - Dali­: Painting and Film truly surprised me. For most of my life I hadn’t considered Dali’s film work to be a natural part of his larger body of work, but as more experimental. Dali’s work in film felt more like a tangent - the artist playing with new technology. But when the videos are screened along with some of his most famous paintings, my perception of Dali is transformed into a more respectful recognition of a visionary artist who’s reputation should not have been confined to the static paintings we know so well, but should include his work in film and animation.

His collaboration with Walt Disney to create the remarkable animation Destino, finalized in 2003, is a testament to his broader vision. Had he been born in this century, Dali may have had a much larger audience and career as a film director.

One of the highlights of the paintings on exhibit were several of his most famous works: Persistence of Memory, The Burning Giraffe, and one of The Great Nude’s favorites Book Transforming Itself into a Woman.

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Book Transforming Itself Into A Woman

Merrel here:

With the excitement of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the game in full swing, all eyes have shifted to focus on one of the world’s oldest most enduring civilizations in the history of man; China. Unfortunately, the depth and breadth of Chinese art can often be overlooked or dismissed in the Western art world. In honor of the 2008 Olympic games I will explore some of China’s well known and not so well known contemporary figurative artists.

Pan Yuliang

Perhaps one of the most well known Chinese figurative painters, Pan Yuliang was born in the Anhui province in 1895. Yuliang’s painting style was a fusion of Western art techniques balanced by the sensibility of the traditional Chinese art. Her harrowing childhood and life story have been retold and fictionalized to much acclaim. It is easy to see why - she was sold into prostitution as a child, bought by a Chinese official as a concubine whom she later married, she was then encouraged to paint later getting accepted to the Shanghai Art School. Her nude figure works were criticized and viewed as taboo during that period in China, and Yuliang’s work achieved much accolade on the international stage.

Pan Yuliang’s work can be see at the China National Art Gallery in Beijing and The Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei. Also check out the Jennifer Cody Epstein novel, a fictionalized acount of life of Yuliang, The Painter from Shangai.

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Earlier this summer, I attended one of the Adult Draw events held downtown in Chelsea. On this occasion, the male model was the subject for the evening, and I had the great chance of drawing male nudes - a rarity. Many fans of The Great Nude have asked me to begin adding more male nudes to the site, and I was eager to take advantage of the opportunity to fulfill their requests. Our male model looked stoic as he presented his full-frontal torso. Click here to see other drawings from the Adult Draw events this summer.

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The Model "Doug" displays a defined abdomen

Scott again with part 3 of TheGreatNude.tv’s “Girls of Summer.”

Years back Eric Zener’s paintings back focused on people on metaphorical journeys of the self. His images were darker, more brooding, such as a lone businessman on traversing unknown expanses while walking on a high-wire. Zener’s work then exploded with color, vibrancy and the movement and freedom of swimming.

Emerging (2005)

While I personally like brooding artwork, this stylistic change was dazzling and his use of brushwork defining fractured reflections still fascinates. Lately he has been experimenting with images and mixed media that are very graphic, some of the oils seem to be almost screen printed. But what is really impressive, if an artist can make what is already jewel - like even more mouth watering and lush, is his use of resin in the painting process. Slick it is - in much contemporary painting these days so it’s easy to say he’s just riding the wave.

Forever (2007)

I feel it really does intensify what is already there and adds a new dimension to the finished piece. While he has also been incorporating photography for some time, I have yet to see it. However a new group of works currently showing at Gallery Henoch this summer promises a combination of painting, photography, ink, resin, as well as gold and silver leaf.

Eric is a California native, born in 1966. With all he does I hope he gets out to get some sun. His work can be seen at Gallery Henoch, New York City from June 13th through August 30th 2008. His official website is EricZener.com

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Several times over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting The Royal Oak Bar out in Brooklyn, to participate in their occasional “Drink & Draw” events. Though quite small, and very under-stated, the environment was warm and open, with mostly younger artists showing up. The models are always wonderful and interesting, and the free drinks were very much appreciated. Below is one of the drawings I created during a session early last year. Click here to see the rest of the drawings from that session.

One of the Sketchs from the Drink and Draw Event

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Lisa Bartoluzzi, She: Wisdom Series (1998)