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by Vanessa Conte
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Why not just take a photograph? The devout objectivity of super realistic art puts forth an icy air, prioritizing form over content. Rendering is sometimes so accurate that we wonder why such painstaking measures are taken to reproduce an image, especially in this digital age of immediate visual satisfaction. From another perspective, the keen eye of the realist painter sees out of a sincere love or familiarity with the object of his affection. The four artists in this month's exhibition tell as much with their choice of subjects as they do with the laborious precision of their painting style.
Featuring the artists Robert Hendrickson and Mary Weinstein-Backer. |
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Robert Hendrickson |
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Robert Hendrickson is a painter who embraces the ideals of good craftsmanship. "My work is often referred to as having an intense technique. I think what is meant by this is my attention to detail…It helps me to capture subtleties of the visual experience." His hypersensitive eye enables the artist to have a richer and increased consciousness.
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Diner (Night Time) (1999)
Robert Hendrickson |
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In order for Hendrickson to immerse himself completely in every environment, he must have an emotional connection to his subject. "The majority of the subjects I choose to paint have some personal subjective meaning to me--a portrait of my wife's studio, the stairway that leads to my apartment and interesting views I find in my daily life." The artist's acute awareness is apparent in the particularity of the color and placement of objects in his compositions.
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My Studio (1997)
Robert Hendrickson |
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The character of every painting comes from the light and mood of Hendrickson's observed surroundings. "I feel as though the painting experience is similar to running out in the middle of Broadway during rush hour traffic…I don't like to do much preparatory work. I worry that if I do, the subject will lose its freshness." Through his careful perception and truthful recording, the artist makes us sensitive to our complex ways of seeing.
Sign the guestbook of Robert Hendrickson |
Hamburgers (1999)
Robert Hendrickson |
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Mary Weinstein-Backer |
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Each year, Mary Weinstein-Backer plants her garden with the idea of creating a painting. Patches of pink and red roses, lotus flowers and sunflowers are cultivated and then photographed by the artist to prepare for a new body of work.
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Serendipity (1999)
Mary Weinstein-Backer |
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Weinstein-Backer works from compilations of several photographs to make one image. "My paintings are composites of many separate pictures. I find the camera to be a great tool for recording information." The artist, mimicking the camera, makes exact replications of every photograph, creating a highly realistic, even super-realistic, interpretation of nature. The works are beyond 'exact' in their rendering because of the total concentration given to all areas of the subject, a feat that is impossible for the human eye to achieve on its own.
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Haiku (2000)
Mary Weinstein-Backer |
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Weinstein-Backer is the only painter in this exhibition to use a camera in her process, finding value in its ability to augment her sight beyond the limitations of both the human eye and the machine.
Sign the guestbook of Mary Weinstein-Backer. |
Georgia on My Mind (1998)
Mary Weinstein-Backer |
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