FIGURATIVE COLLECTION
NAME Original Oil | xxxcm x xxxcm | £xxx
NAME Original Oil | xxxcm x xxxcm | £xxx
FIGURATIVE
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton Figurative art is a term used to refer to art that retains strong references to the real world and particularly to the human form. The twentieth century was a time of great experimentation in art when the traditional uses of the figure and approaches to realistic representation changed dramatically. Here, we present a cross-section of how the human form has been conveyed by some of the most significant contemporary artists of modern times. From Lenkiewicz to Hofmann, Royo to Ibáñez and the superb Heindel, these artists demonstrate an extraordinary talent to represent not only the figurative form, but to also conjure a range and depth of emotion through their unmistakeable, individual styles. Taking inspiration from some of the Old Masters and revered painters of years gone by, we see elements of Renoir and Joaquin Sorolla in the luminous and delicate work of Royo; Rembrandt and Brueghel, with their obvious influence on the striking
works of Lenkiewicz; the Impressionists evident throughout Hofmann’s poignant recreations of, often ordinary scenarios - workers working, dancers dancing, women bathing; and finally the coming to life of Ibáñez’s complex and detailed compositions through the influence of Spanish Baroque painters such as Zurbaran and Murillo. Through a series of original art, these painters take us on a journey from the serene to the provocative, the inspiring to the disturbing, the blissful contentment to the agitated introspection. The rich narratives formed by each artist are as unique as they are engaging, and the temptation to lose oneself in perhaps a Royo piece is ever present. Contrast this with the way in which Ibáñez forces the viewer to reconsider their perceptions of morality, religion and acceptability and it is immediately clear just how versatile and emotive the figurative genre can be. Curated specifically for just a handful of exhibitions around the country, this collection of original art features some of the most respected and sought after figurative artists from Washington Green Fine Art.
ROYO
“If the artwork of Renoir were blended with that of the 'Valencian painters' you would arrive at the canvasses approaching the uniqueness of the impressive work of Royo.” The desire to escape to another life or another place takes us all at one time or another. It is through these paintings by Royo that this blissful form of escapism becomes almost a reality. Just a moment in the company of these pieces leaves you enveloped in their radiance and transported to an almost other-worldly existence. Royo’s beatific, delicate homage to the female form demonstrates an astonishing and captivating painterly fluidity. It is a testament to his command of his medium that he is at once able to convey the inner strength and power of the women in his paintings, whilst never for a moment overpowering their peace and grace. His works are firmly rooted in the Mediterranean. Growing up in Valencia, it is clear that his inspiration is drawn from long summer days on the coast. His luminosity creates an almost ethereal visual essence of southern Spain and the Mediterranean Sea. The sweeping brush strokes and bold swaths of colour
capture the imagination until the viewer is almost bathed in the mid-afternoon Spanish light, hearing the sea and feeling the heat of the sun. It is this unique and exquisite ability to not only deliver a painting, but a mood, an emotion, an atmosphere that has seen Royo compared to Spanish master Joaquin Sorolla, with both of them being described as “painters of light” by critics and experts. Parallels are often drawn to the work of the European masters in particular we note the influence of Renoir. Where Royo depicts his female subject as serene, lost in a contemplative moment, absorbed in her task and comfortable in her own skin – surrounded by bright, bold bursts of colour, created with a heavy impasto - is where we see the unmistakeable elements of Renoir with an inimitable Royo treatment. During his a career, the internationally-renowned artist Royo has received commissions to paint the royal portraits of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. He received subsequent commissions to paint the Judges of the High Magistrature and the Court of Justice, as well as prominent political and society figures.
RAMILLETE DE FLORES Original Oil | 23½” x 28¾”
CESTO DE PRIMAVERA Original Oil | 23½” x 28¾”
JARDIN DE VERANO Original Oil | 23½” x 49¼”
CESTA DE FLORES Original Oil | 23½” x 28¾”
BELLA ENTRE LA FLORES, 2012 Original Oil | 39¾” x 39¼”
QUIEN VENDRA A VERME, 2012 Original Oil | 23½” x 30¼”
Andrés García Ibáñez
The work of Andrés García Ibáñez is undoubtedly a challenge. In his provocative and emotive paintings, he throws down the gauntlet and asks you to reconsider your perceptions of morality, religion and acceptability. Morals and beliefs that we have long held, that are engrained within society and culture are turned on their head as Ibáñez explores, probes and provokes. Using a variety of themes, from religion to voodoo, lust to desire, classical to contemporary – the juxtaposition that he so expertly weaves, the contradictions that he deftly highlights are enough to have even the most pious amongst us questioning the very essence of the human condition. Often featuring Venetian allegories, adapted in the vein of the Spanish Baroque painters such as Zurbaran and Murillo these complex and detailed compositions come to life through a skilful command of his medium. There is, undeniably, something luxurious and sensual about these paintings, set within a familiar and contemporary stage. Yet scratch the surface and there is an unsettling marrying of the dark with the light, the immoral with the moral, the pure with the impure. These themes, so familiar in Venetian culture and society - where a heady mix of power and hedonism were heightened by the religious sanctity of the day - come together in a blurring of boundaries between the sacred and the profane. Ibáñez’ works are rooted in a deep and complex melting pot of observations on culture, both classical and popular. Almost sardonic in their assertions, the
work can often be classified into three obsessions; classical culture, eroticism and power. These works and themes - the result of a demanding and intense artistic process, hours of restlessness, mediation and self reflection - form the basis of many of the narratives explored. Couple this with a burning desire to disregard stereotypes and challenge the status quo, Ibáñez can certainly been seen as an artist committed to and passionate about breaking the mould whilst offering a unique take on pre-established concepts and ideals. Andrés García Ibáñez has been revered internationally and has completed several important works for religious establishments during his career. In 1993, he produced a painting for St Peter’s Basilica, Rome and in the same year, the official inauguration took place of the Vault of the Chapel of the Esperanza in Malaga. This was followed two years later by his first painting for the Cathedral of San Salvador. ‘The Crucifixion’ was joined by seven further works, which were commissioned by the Cathedral in 1996. In 1997, he completed an altarpiece for San Salvador Cathedral as well as eight Perhaps his most prestigious commission to date is from the Republic of El Salvador in Central America – a painting for the Vault of the Cathedral, covering a surface of 1,000 square metres and featuring ‘The Salvation of the World’.
LA TEMPLANZA Original Oil | 45½” x 28¾”
ESTUDIO PARA BACCANTE Original Oil | 28¾” x 25½”
MONJA VENECIANA IV
MASCHERA XXI
Original Oil | 51¼” x 29½”
Original Oil | 13” x 18¼”
DESNUDO VENECIANO I Original Oil | 25½” x 15¾”
DESNUDO VENECIANO II Original Oil | 30” x 57½”
VENECIA II Original Oil | 36¼” x 29½”
VANITAS II Original Oil | 35” x 65”
LA ABUNDANCIA Original Oil | 25½” x 45¾”
LA MENTIRA DEL ENGANO Original Oil | 51¼” x 31¾”
Douglas Hofmann
Douglas Hofmann is a painter of unquestionable ability. Acclaimed worldwide for his unparalleled talent, he creates bold, poignant portraits which leave viewers with a sense that they are witnessing the formation of a new paradigm in contemporary figurative art. Drawing on techniques employed by the Old Masters, his harmonious compositions combine minute detail and extraordinary luminosity his work presents the viewer with something quite out of the ordinary. This is the kind of complexity that was common in many of the Old Master paintings would defeats all but the most skilful contemporary figurative painters. The combination of unusual, yet beautiful subject matter draws on the juxtaposition of tradition and extreme modernity. Combined with his unparalleled technical ability, these elements lift his art into the realms of genius. It’s no surprise that one has to go back nearly 400 years to find the artist that Hofmann reveres; the inimitable Vermeer (16061669): “My primary artistic heroes are the realists of the 17th Century, and the impressionists of the 19th and early 20th Century. Early on I was exposed to Jan Vermeer, and for me he has always been the pinnacle figure in painting.” Outside of Vermeer Hofmann has always looked towards the impressionists for inspiration. For the painters of this era, even when an image was contrived, the goal was to leave the viewer with
some insight into the characters. Like Degas or Manet, Hofmann’s goal is to leave to the viewer some tangible emotional feeling or insight into the subject. The images presented in this era were so often rooted in depicting ordinary daily scenarios: workers working, or dancers practicing, woman bathing, or simply lounging – these are the subject of choice for Hofmann. “With my paintings I strive to get the feeling of air. There is a 'signature' to the work that reveals my hand, my feelings and my personality. You can see the manipulation of the paint and the brush strokes. I don't want to paint everyday scenes. I'm a dreamer. I want to express a romantic feeling in my work. This appeals to me as a form of self-expression in today's world of structured reality”. Hoffman has had numerous solo and group shows in galleries throughout the United States, including the Butler Institute of American Art,Youngstown, Ohio; the National Academy of Design, New York; and the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore. Tokyo, Hong Kong and London have also hosted exhibitions. His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska; the Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington; Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York; and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
LIPSTICK Original Oil | 18” x 22½”
AT THE BARRE Conte Drawing | 13¼” x 10¼”
THE BLUE DANCER
SPANISH GUITARIST
Conte Drawing | 13¾” x 10½”
Original Oil | 14½” x 10½”
VIVIAN AND THE CROSS Original Oil | 35” x 19½”
TAKING A BREAK Original Oil | 11½” x 14¼”
JENNY WITH FLOWERS Conte Drawing | 12¼” x 15”
SITTING NUDE WITH SILK Conte Drawing | 9½" x 12½"
Robert HEINDEL AMERICAN 1938–2005
Much like the dancers he devoted his life to painting, Robert Heindel demonstrated a true mastery of his art. His work - powerful, poignant, fluid and intimate - compels the viewer to look past the physical constraints of the subjects he depicts, insisting we focus instead on the soul of his dancers. Recognised in his lifetime as “the greatest painter of dance since Degas” by David Bintley, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Robert Heindel was synonymous with the ballet, receiving widespread international recognition both in the world of dance and art. An acclaimed exhibition in 1986 at the Royal Festival Hall awarded Heindel early success as an artist. He was invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber - a keen collector of his work - to paint The Phantom of the Opera and Cats in the pre-opening stages, and Cameron Mackintosh commissioned him to paint the barricade scene of Les Miserables. His devotion and commitment led to collaborations with some of the world’s most renowned ballet companies - including the Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Scottish Ballet and the Noh and Kabuki Dance and Theatre of Japan - and unique access to leading dancers and choreographers of the late twentieth century such as Sir Anthony Dowell, Dame Monica Mason, Gillian Lynn, Darcey Bussell, Irek Mukhamedov and Viviana Durante.
His interest lay primarily in the rehearsal, where he perfected the art of moving around the auditorium discreetly to observe and sketch before developing his powerful oil and pastel works. As art critic William Lawrence comments: “I have met and interviewed hundreds of accomplished artists, from rock stars to the cream of Hollywood’s filmmakers, and yet I treasure my memories of Robert Heindel most of all.” His reputation for capturing the spirit of dance was unrivalled and his innate ability to convey the strength and grace of his subjects afforded him many prestigious international private and public collections including, HRH Diana Princess of Wales and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, National Portrait Gallery (London), Glasgow Museums, The Smithsonian Institute (Washington D.C.), and the Norman Rockwell Museum. “From the toil and sweat of gruelling preparation to the theatrics and spectacle of costume and colour, it’s not difficult to spot a Heindel” Opera House magazine, published by the Royal Ballet
DANCER IN WHITE SKIRT YURIE Conte Drawing | 24" x 18"
LEAPING DANCERS (STUDY) Conte Drawing | 24" x 18"
DANCER ON A BLACK CHAIR Original Oil | 37" x 35"
DANCER IN PINK AND WHITE Original Oil | 27½" x 39¼"
FIGURE MOVING Original Oil | 48" x 33"
Robert OSCAR Lenkiewicz Robert Lenkiewicz courted controversy throughout his life, painting portraits on themes such as vagrancy, sexual behaviour and suicide. He was a natural outsider, radical thinker and constantly at odds with contemporary thinking on ethical and aesthetic issues. Lenkiewicz pursued an independent course as a painter, not influenced by contemporary art fashions and welcomed colourful characters into his life which inspired his large painting projects. His work was recognisably influenced by the Old Masters he admired; echoes of Rembrandt, Leonardo and Brueghel are all evident in his technique. Despite holding many large scale exhibitions, Lenkiewicz would frequently say that he had “no interest in issues of high art” and would completely decry any altruistic impulses. Technically, the work of Lenkiewicz is remarkable. His use of colour never distracts from the structure of his paintings, but enhances the viewer’s understanding of the piece. He ability to build an acute awareness of humanity is masterful and his confident brush strokes bring to the fore the subtleties of the form he has created. It has been suggested that Lenkiewicz’s work could be dismissed as superficial, but his unmistakable style, a style which insists upon an emotional response from the viewer, belies this judgment. Much of Lenkiewicz’s work is better understood as illustrations for what he called his 'projects' investigations into the human condition in general, and into the condition of Robert Lenkiewicz in particular. He completed 21 such projects in his lifetime, on such subjects as vagrancy, mental
handicap, love and romance, jealousy, orgasm and addictive behaviour. Each collection composed of paintings, sketches, notebooks and diaries. Taken together, they provide an encyclopedia of his abiding obsessions, and constitute one of the most singular, and curious, bodies of work of any British artist of modern times. Robert Lenkiewicz died of heart failure in 2002. In his obituary of Lenkiewicz, art critic David Lee observed: `Robert’s greatest gift was to show us that an artist could be genuinely concerned about social and domestic issues and attempt the difficult task of expressing this conscience through the deeply unfashionable medium of figurative painting. In that sense he was one of few serious painters of contemporary history.’ This collection of paintings illustrates Lenkiewicz’s particular mastery of portraiture. A mix of self –portraits and female forms, it demonstrates his extraordinary gift for communicating ideas through haunting visual metaphors and cements his position as a legendary British portrait painter of enormous ability. Lenkiewicz produced more than 10,000 works in his lifetime, one of his most famous being a vast mural onto a building near to his studio in The Barbican, featuring famous historical figures such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh. Throughout his career, he worked in themed projects investigating hidden communities (Vagrancy 1973, Mental Handicap 1976) or difficult social issues (Suicide 1980, Death 1982).
SELF PORTRAIT AT LOWER COMPTON Original Oil | 17" x 17"
PAINTER WITH MODEL Original Oil | 50" x 36½"
STUDY OF ELAINE Original Oil | 20遜" x 9他"
STUDY OF FARADAY Original Oil | 19他" x 9他"
SELF PORTRAIT Original Oil | 38½" x 19¾"
NAME Original Oil | xxxcm x xxxcm | £xxx
FIGURATIVE COLLECTION
NAME Original Oil | xxxcm x xxxcm | ÂŁxxx
The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. Š Washington Green 2013. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission. washingtongreen.co.uk