TheGreatNude Invitational - May 13 - 16, The Roger Smith Hotel

Due to the great amount of interest in TheGreatNude Invitational, we have rescheduled the event at The Roger Smith Hotel for May 13 – 16, 2010 – allowing for the participation of some great artists and galleries, and making this event truly exciting for the Figurative Arts community. Check the site for new information and regular updates at www.thegreatnude.tv/invitational

Artists Odd Nerdrum, Richard T. Scott, Scott Goodwillie and Adam Miller have joined the exhibition, along with a number of galleries representing some of the world’s most well-known figurative artists, including Forum Gallery.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that Peter Trippi, editor of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine and renowned art critic Donald Kuspit, have joined our Host Committee. Click to Read More>

Galleries, Curators, Artists Groups & Art Schools who wish to exhibit at the Invitational will be happy to know about several new developments. Early payment Discounts available. Click to Read More>

Sincerely,
Jeffery Wiener
Publisher, TheGreatNude.tv

Now showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until April 18, 2010 is the first ever show dedicated solely to Agnolo Bronzino, the Italian Mannerist. With almost sixty drawings from the artist, , some never before seen, the exhibition helps to shed light on an artist whose name is familiar to many, but whose depictions of the form may still be unfamiliar to viewers.

The show is put together with the help of the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi and the Polo Museale Fiorentino, Florence and encompasses a refreshing take on the figure.  Although the drawings are done largely from a scholastic standpoint, making excellent reference of the figures musculature and positioning, the works read as soft, delicate and emotional. Bronzino’s take on the figure is not only refreshing, but raises the question of how a figurative artist of his caliber escaped the public eye for so long.

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Seated Nude Youth Playing Panpipes, red chalk, 1530-32

Seated Male Nude Youth, black chalk on gray-blue prepared paper, 1540-41

Having been a contributor to the New York art world for over 130 years The Art Students League offers a rich history since its creation in 1875. Although the ASL is probably best known for producing celebrated artists in figurative drawing, it retains an informal environment where anyone of any skill level is welcome to attend. Its creation came out of necessity when a National academy instructor was unable to continue teaching due to lack of funds and joined The Art Students League. Within a decade of their opening the facility saw enrollments grow and boasted instructors such as William Merritt Chase and TGN favorite Kenyon Cox.

Over time the school amassed an impressive body of work and offered classes in many new styles of drawing. That’s exactly what their show, Drawing Lessons is all about. The show was initially held in October in New York but is now showing in Houston. Showing their collection of early academic drawings the collection includes the work of students of prominent ASL artists. Whether thoroughly versed in the figure, hoping to observe the techniques of early masters, or curious to figurative techniques used over the last one hundred years, the wide collection of artists and approaches to the figure proves to not only be an impressive collection, but shows the path that figurative art inside the Art Students League has taken.

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Johnson, Academic drawing, undated, vine and compressed charcoal on Michallet paper, 24 ½ x 18 ½ in. Student of George B. Bridgman. PERMANENT COLLECTION, THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK.

Walter Marshall Clute (1870-1915), Academic drawing, February 7, 1894, vine and compressed charcoal on Michallet paper, 24 ¼ x 18 ½ in. Student of H. Siddons Mowbray. PERMANENT COLLECTION, THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK

Last night, February 3rd, was the opening night for the newly relocated DFN Gallery. After having previously been located in Soho, and in Chelsea, DFN now takes residence on the Upper East Side, where its modern works refresh the local art scene.

The energy filled opening, titled Looks Good on Paper offers a broad range of works from over forty different artists. Being works on paper, the general scale of the pieces were mostly on the smaller side, but the consistent media did not limit variety at the show. Many of the pieces carried themes of beautiful imagery, inspiration seeming to come from a blend of everyday life as well as the fantastical. Some of the artists featured include Vincent Desiderio, Steve Shaheen, and Joan Semmel.

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Jordan Wolfson, Reclining Nude III, 2010, ink and acrylic on paper.

Joan Semmel, Pencil Study from 'Centered,' 2003, pencil on paper.

DFN Galley
74 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075

The role of the human figure in the history of American art is a topic we appreciate here at our publication. Pulling together a survey illustrating the evolution of intellectual and aesthetic thought regarding the figure over the last two hundred years is a challenging aspiration for any museum, but that’s exactly what the National Academy set out to do in their summer/fall exhibit. In Reconfiguring the Body in American Art, 1820-2009 we see an overview of the figure as used by artists through many phases of history, illustrated with wonderful, eclectic selections from the museum’s permanent collection.

This is a great show for those who are fans of the Figurative Arts. Bravo National Academy! The show closes on November 15th.

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Click for more info on the National Academy and Reconfiguring the Body in American Art

Forum Gallery is a favorite gallery to visit in mid-town for lovers of the figure, and it’s current exhibit does not disappoint. The Platonic Ideal, running October 1st to November 28th, includes almost thirty painters, sculptors and artists, with many pieces offering contemplations on humanity through the figure. The works fall into three main categories, paintings, sculpture and on paper works.

Of the paintings in this exhibit, several artists working directly with the figure are well represented. Reflection by William Bailey welcomes the viewer into the gallery. A female figure gazes at us, toying with her hair, her figure framed by the balance in the lines of the room surrounding her. Nearby, Prelude by Alan Feltus is similarly infused by lines, yet the tense figure in this painting is an echo of the surrounding chaos of objects surrounding this figure. Suite for Piano by Carlo Maria Mariani is a musical number – so to speak – the floating woman in this painting radiating a creative energy and physical motion.

William Bailey, Reflection. Oil on canvas, 60 x 60 in.

Alan Feltus, Prelude, 2008. Oil on canvas (47 1/4 x 39 1/4in)

Carlos Maria Mariani, Suite for Piano, 2008. Oil on canvas (50 x 31in)

Of the sculptures shown in The Platonic Ideal we saw a nice selection of early 20th century figurative sculpture. Torso by Alexander Archipenko is a wonder of simplicity, the smooth flowing lines of the the form moving into each other. Other works in this show were Female Head by Elie Nadelman and the monumental Centurione Petrificato by Igor Mitoraj, a large antiquated head, of seemingly Roman origins, and clearly heroic. Hugo Robus‘ The General, Dawn, and Elie Nadelman with Woman Dressing Another Woman’s Hair, make complete use of the figure, depicting scenes and emotions that show the expressive nature of figurative arts.

Alexander Archipenko, Torso, 1948. Terracotta (24 inches high)

Igor Mitoraj, Centurione Petrificato, 2008. Bronze (44 x 24 1/2 x 18 1/4 in)

Hugo Robus, The General, 1922. Polished bronze (19 x 19 1/2 x 7 3/8 in)

Edie Nadelman once again gains our attention with her ink sketch Untitled, showing a rough depiction of the form in motion. Philip Evergood‘s At Nebuchandnezzar’s Court, a mixed media painting showing multiple figures strolling about, is a light-hearted tangent to the show’s other, more seriously contemplative works.

Philip Evergood, At Nebuchadnezzar's Court, 1927 Watercolor over pencil on paper.

Elie Nadelman, Untitled, 1912. Pen and black ink on paper (17 1/2 x 12 1/2 in)

Forum Gallery is located at
745 5th Ave # 503, New York, NY 10151

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Jim Kempner Fine Art sits prominently on the Northwest corner of 23rd st and 10th Ave. The gallery is known for its representation of talented and successful artists; a literal and figurative corner-stone for the Chelsea art scene. So it was a great surprise to see a large nude figure stretching herself in their expansive window overlooking 23rd street. Even better was that it was one of Carole Feuerman‘s latest works.

My first encounter with Feuerman’s nudes was decades ago, as a young boy in Miami. On one of my father’s art safaris to the local galleries on South Beach, he brought me by the shirt sleeve, up close to one of her startlingly realistic sculptures. The quality of realism in her works is still a remarkable thing to encounter as an adult. On many occasions since then, I’ve seen crowds of people in public gathered around her works, taking pictures. Its easy to see how one can get lost in contemplating the possibility that a human hand created the sculptures you see before you.

In her current exhibit: Carole Feuerman: Swimmers, Bathers, Nudes, we encounter her powerful works in new scales, smaller than life and quite larger than life figurative works that still defy belief. Even when unbelievably off-scale, these sculptures are still startlingly believable in their appearance. Feuerman’s choice of scales also forces the viewer to see the human body’s various surface details in blushingly close proximity. To the student of anatomy, this is an opportunity to observe human beauty in great detail.

What I most admire about Feuerman as an artist is her dedication to figurative works over the course of her long career. Aside from achieving a technical mastery of her medium and world-wide acclaim, she is still dedicated to depicting beauty in its most honest, straight-forward fashion.

I’m thrilled that her work is on exhibit in New York; this is a must see, and open until October, 31.

Jim Kempner Fine Art
is located at 501 West 23rd Street

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Monumental Shower. Sculpture, oil and resin. 59 x 48 x 29in.

Tree. Sculpture, oil and resin. 57 x w 35 x 40in.

The Survival of Serena. Sculpture, oil and resin. 42 x 80 x 38in.

Now showing at the McKee Gallery is “Unique Photographs”, an exhibit of the work of international photographer Richard Learoyd. Running until October 31st, Learoyd’s photographs blur the line between portraiture and painting. Using the figure alongside organic objects, the collection of imagery seems infused with an atmosphere of honesty and introspection. The tonality of his work is quiet and introspective, allowing the viewer to focus on the subtleties of lighting and the nuance of gesture, capturing our imagination in the process.

McKee Gallery is located at
745 5th Ave # 400,
New York, NY 10151

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Unique Ilfochrome print image: 68 x 48in.

Unique Ilfochrome print image: 68 x 48in.

Best known for work that nearly defined the “Pin-up”, Alberto Vargas is recognized for depicting and perfecting the image of female sexuality in the first half of the 20th century. Having worked with Esquire and more famously Playboy magazines, some would be quick to write Vargas off as a soft pornographer, and he’s never expressed any shame in that. However, from the perspective of TheGreatNude, Vargas was an artist dedicated to the figure, and produced a body of work that embodied the meaning of female sexuality and in effect became standards of feminine desire for a generation of American men.

In the early 1920′s, Vargas solidified his career as a successful artist working with the Ziegfeld Follies, and later working as a regular illustrator for Esquire magazine, where he created the infamous “Varga Girl”, a stylistic. While restricted in his ability to paint fully nude figures for these publications, Vargas was able to convey a comparable essence, stylistically depicting his women as playful, coy, and full of energy, further solidifying and advancing the concept of the Pin-Up as an icon of sexual freedom.

In the 1950’s Playboy was the master of men’s literature, delivering well researched articles simultaneously with artistic and sexual content. For decades, Vargas’ art works had a premier spot following the magazine’s premier feature: The Centerfold. It was this venue that gave Vargas the freedom to paint his strongest nudes at the peak of his career, and he produced many of his most iconographic works during this time.

Click here to subscribe to TheGreatNude.tv and to see more of Vargas’ “Legacy Nudes”.

Vargas' iconic image of Diana, shown below with Esquire's clothed and edited rendition

Legacy Nude 4, Exuberance

Legacy Nude 5, Red Fire

The Bernarducci Meisel Gallery is one of New York’s premier galleries for representational approaches to the figure. They’re always a great gallery to pop into any time of the year. Its been four years since we’ve seen a large exhibition of Bernardo Torrens paintings at this gallery, but on October 1st, New Paintings opens and will remain on exhibit until October 31st, featuring works created by Torrens between 2002-2009.

A master of realist technique with a tendency towards a monochrome palate, Torrens focuses crisply on the surface of his subjects, their anatomical details rendered in an absolutely convincing fashion. Some of his works are introspective compositions, portraits of people we feel we may know, others are more compositional, the model’s pose as the topic. In all of Torrens’ paintings, the technical mastery of the works themselves is an enjoyable thing to witness. Check out Bernardo Torrens this October when you’re passing through Midtown, NYC!

The Bernarducci Meisel Gallery is located at 37 West 57th St, New York, NY.

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"Laura I" 2009 acrylic on wood 25.5 x 20"

"Laura II" 2009 acrylic on wood 25.5 x 51.2"

"Katey I" 2009 acrylic on wood 19.75 x 18.125"