I recently saw a small exhibit of delicate male nudes by of Paul P that were holding their own down in Chelsea, NYC earlier this year. Canadian born  of Paul P (1977) lives in Paris and is gaining attention as an artist. He has done numerous exhibitions since his first in 2001. Paul P’s works make excellent use of his media, blurring the line between charcoal, pencil sketch and water color, conveying movement and strong color to subject relationships throughout his pieces in the process.

Untitled-2007

A byproduct of the late twentieth century and prominent in the gay art community, his work is characteristic of those genres. Many of his figures, generally nude males of disputable age, are posed in overtly sexually posed that are dark and somber in nature. The claustrophobic undertone, seen through facial expression and body language, creates an overall sense of oppression. His ‘Untitled’ shown below suggests two persons in a sexual positioning – but no one looks happy here. I often look for universal qualities of the human condition in figurative works, but Paul P’s work seems aimed directly at/to the Gay Community.

There are of course romantic elements in Paul P’s work. However, even where Love is concerned, the artist seems to be catering to a cultural fascination; at the very least showing a strong attention to the young male form, beautiful even though the use of the figure seems politicized in the case of Paul P.

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New York based Jacob Collins is now showing at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco. Collins, a popular realist, is known for large bodies of work in several traditionalist genres. But Collins creates beautiful figurative works that seem timeless while feeling fresh and honest. A prominent member of the Figurative Arts community in New York, Collins is involved with many projects, having founded the Grand Central Academy of Art and the Water Street Atelier, where he holds classes with an intimate selection of students.

Collins nudes are strikingly realistic, intimate portraits that show the figures in intimate settings. Often in dramatic poses are naturally lit, his work always seems to glorify the human form as dignified conduits of human grace. His technique is not over-elaborate, his focus on emotion conveyed through body language and the pensive nature of his subjects. By being true to the human form and focusing on the precise details of each composure, Collins is able to create strikingly beautiful works, complex only through the communication accomplished through their simplicity.

Candace 2006

Collins not only works in nude painting but landscapes as well, conveying the same tranquil beauty and elegance as his human forms. To see an additional article with more information on Collin’s Water Street Atelier and home life from The New York Times, click here.

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Male Nude 2006

Reclining Nude 2006

Jenny : 8 Reclining Nudes
May, 2009

Our first submission to our Model’s Library features Jenny in a series of traditional reclining nudes.

New to the Model Library - Jenny: 8 Reclining Nudes

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Klaudia Marr Gallery is currently holding an exhibit called EVENLY SCATTERED that presents the works by 8 artists from the US and abroad, that don’t necessarily fit the confines of conventional realism, but portray different levels of representational art. Several Figurative Artists are exhibiting in this show, including Toby Boothman, who’s iconic nudes are striking for their clarity and technique. We had a chance to ask Boothman some questions about his work:

Toby Boothman's figurative work on view at the Klaudia Marr Gallery

TGN: You’ve obviously been influenced by the great European masters. Can you tell us about your technique for painting the figure?

Boothman: I have been heavily influenced by various artists. In particular the Flemish Renaissance master Jan Van Eyck, as well as Caravaggio, Vermeer and Ingres. In 1992 I studied under the master Patrick Betaudier in a place called Monflanquin in France. It was here, at the Atelier Neo Medici, that I learned a modern version of the Renaissance technique know as the Technique Mixed.

Over the years I have practiced this technique and evolved it to suit my needs.

I paint on both canvas and panel depending on the subject matter and size. I begin with a detailed under-drawing using a carbon pencil. Once this is finished I fix the drawing and cover it with a tinted wash known as the imprematura.

I then begin to paint using gradations of raw umber through to white. I work over the whole canvas many times until I am satisfied that the under-painting has been fully modelled and is ready for the colour. The under-painting is rendered in lighter tones than the colour glazes to come, so that the glazes of colour which follow enhance the dimensions of the form.

For the colour, I apply between 30 and 40 glazes of transparent colour, gradually enriching the painting and developing a depth of colour that is intense and three dimensional – never solid or bloc. In effect the light passes through the colour glazes to revel and enhance the modelled under-painting beneath.

TGN: Do you paint from the live nude model or do you utilize any technologies for creating your paintings?

Boothman: I work mainly from photographs, which I develop on the computer, using layering effects to lighten and darken the original image at various points.

 Many of my paintings use chiaroscuro; where lit figures emerge from darkness. But I have recently introduced gold leaf into the background of some of my paintings. This gives a very different effect, and adds to the visual illusion that the figure is standing apart from the background. It enhances the feeling of 3D, which is already a strong aspect to my work. I believe that the use of gold leaf ties in with the historical references in my work too. I’m also using the latest computer software to enhance the images that I work from. I have always felt that my work represents a meeting point between tradition and modernity.

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Here’s a drawing I did for my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. It’s a pencil study of her legs, as she was curled up watching television. See other drawings at www.thegreatnude.tv

Pencil drawing - study of legs by Jeff Wiener

Blush, on view at the Florench Lynch Gallery

Guess whose coming to dinner? She’s big, she’s bold and she’s beautiful and has a way of staring at you that you don’t mess with. The new painting “Blush” by Australian artist Annette Bezor at the Florence Lynch Gallery in Chelsea just might prove the axiom that size does indeed matter. When you stand in front of a large Bierstadt or one of Frederic Church’s paintings, they take you in with an all encompassing embrace. Being in front of this work is a more disquieting experience – what the shows catalog describes as having your voyeurism exposed.

In the process of lifting her leg to reveal her genitalia she stares out at the viewer in a manner which tells you she’s done this plenty of times before and doesn’t care what you think. There’s a difference between nude and naked and this is absolutely the latter! A comparison has been made to the hollow gaze of Manets’ “Olympia” Looking at the two works, yes the eyes are hollow, but that’s where the similarity ends. Olympia seems tired of us and covers herself with her left hand while Bezor’s gal is more catlike. The pose of the foot and the clasped hands tell us this, maybe she’s waiting for us to make a move, but her movement has already begun. Her look is not as benign, as if anyone with hollow eyes can be benign.

The title of the work is “Blush” and I’m damn sure it doesn’t refer to the model in her outsized nakedness, but rather how it catches us off guard when first encountering it. Do we come in close to take it all in, inch by inch? Or maintain a polite distance while being ever followed and dared by those judgmental eyes. Bezor succeeds in pulling the rug out from under our feet.

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An iconic male figure in metal wire

Sometimes when looking through various art publications, I will find something which makes my heart race and I feel as if I have discovered someone new. It’s the aesthetic version of the Wow Factor. Of course in the case of Korean artist Seungmo Park, it’s only a discovery for me, as he has been exhibiting his aluminum wire sculptures for some time now throughout Asia.

There is a lot of spiritual meaning informing Parks work so I’ll try to be brief. Following a personal path through Zen Buddhism, and a fascination with Tibetan mandalas, he seeks out everyday images, generally creations of man, and even humankind itself. These in turn become subject matter which he sculpts and forms into a plastic resin maquette. Upon this armature he then begins the laborious process of coiling thin gleaming aluminum wire. The finished piece has a beauty which catches the light while at the same time resembling a resonating fingerprint. Plenty of metaphors to be had in that!

He likens this technique to creating a mandala in which artistic flow takes over thought in a meditative way. Unlike a mandala, these sculptures thankfully are not wiped away, and are allowed to have a presence of their own which we can appreciate. I say presence of their own because he is very aware of the illusion of the created world much the same way Magritte created the famous little painting of a pipe upon which he wrote “this is not a pipe”. I always took this as a bit of tongue and cheek humor, but Parks dedication to philosophical ideal is quite sincere.

More can be read at the link below, as I mentioned it’s an extensive but thoroughly fascinating look at an experience which had a profound effect on his life and the artwork he produces.

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One of Pearlsteins transitional works from 1965

A rarified handful of artists in history are known for full variations in personal style and technique, think Picasso, which style fit him best? All. Most of us go through experiments and variations while only having one which publicly defines us and by which all our other work is judged. So it’s nice to see this new offering of Philip Pearlstein’s work in such an encompassing way. I’ve always liked his “signature style” even though it often felt claustrophobic and gave me pangs of anxiety. Where do I start to look in one of his paintings and where the hell can I rest my eye?

Interesting how what seems so common now was initially viewed as a daring step in his career. He was already in his late thirties by the time he settled on depicting the nude – stripped bare if you will – of all encumbering luggage and meaning. Certainly no intimacy, no matter how close you are to the figure. It was a body in the age of Minimalism. Not classically painted, but in a definitive way which was unmistakably his. His figures were arranged in a closely cropped rectangles, and the flesh handled with layers of painted tone – like strata examined in a geological survey. His use of color never varying much in tonality – a red rug has as much validity as the model seated upon it. This is the Pearlstein as we know him.

What’s so enjoyable and surprising to see in this exhibit are the paintings that show Pearlstein experimenting with various styles, such as his intense expressionist depiction of superman with such turbulent brushstrokes. I’m ready to attach my carriage to it and go for a ride. Always have been more a fan of realism, but some of these paintings just feel fun, not just in subject matter but the way they’re rendered.

So while I understand the critics need to point to the singular contribution he has made to art history, I’m happy to see the many roads he could have taken but decided not to. Its a process all artists can understand. Intimately.

On view at the Montclair Art Museum , Montclair, New Jersey – through Feruary 1st 2009

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Things have been busy over at The Great Nude Studio and we’d like to share with you what’s coming down the pipe in the coming months.

• The Great Nude will be down in Miami for Art Basel 2008. We are finalizing plans now to do a live taping of sketch sessions with several models (male and female.) Stay tuned for more specifics as they become available.
• The Asian Contemporary Art Fair proved fruitful, with excellent figurative pieces from China, Iran, and Japan. The Great Nude has lined up exclusive interviews some international figurative artists which will be featured on the blog in the coming weeks.
• We’ve revamped our blog with some new style and flair and will be launching a new custom video player on the main site soon that will allow you to watch multiple videos in one player.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to our Newsletter for the most up-to-date information about our videos and events.

Cheers,

The Great Nude

In our newly posted Sketch Sessions video artists Scott Goodwille and Mikel Glass and host Jeff Wiener sketch the lovely Mia, a lithe model who has worked for several of New York City’s finest art schools and drawing ateliers.

In this video, all three artists comment about the drawing process, and in particular, the use of “triangulation” to compose an accurate rendering of a complex pose. Each has their own take on the process.