Daniel Gerhartz Pairings | Solo Exhibition
Daniel Gerhartz
Pairings
Solo Exhibition July 6-19, 2018
On the Cover: Ribbons of Light
oil 48x60
Meyer Gallery 225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com
Honesty is the vein that runs through the life and art of Dan Gerhartz. This integrity, combined with his driving work ethic and impeccable technique, have brought him a degree of success that artists twice his age would envy. Born in 1965, Gerhartz grew up in rural Wisconsin, an area he continues to call home. The unspoiled beauty of the nearby Kettle Moraine State Forest was his playground as a child and provides inspiration for many of his paintings today. "I've been really lucky," he says. "I can paint what I want to paint. The area around here is so beautiful, with its rolling hills, deciduous forests, and prairies. I love to place a figure against that landscape." Gerhartz credits an inspirational high school art instructor, John Baitinger, for helping shape his artistic direction. "He guided me through my formative years when I didn't know where I wanted to go with my art. But I already knew it was going to be a very important part of my life." He continued his studies at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where he was awarded the Faculty Recommendation Scholarship and the President's Award in 1985. Later, artist Richard Schmidt was important in Gerhartz' career through sharing his knowledge and skill. Despite his remarkable early success, Dan Gerhartz is determined to keep growing. "This is just the beginning," he says. "All I have to do is open a book with the work of the masters. Their technical ability is just so humbling. Painting is a never-ending learning process. I look forward to learning my entire life." To this end, he spends a great deal of time studying the work of artists who inspire him, including John Singer Sargent, Alphonse Mucha, and the French and American Impressionists. Particularly important have been Russian artists, especially Nicolai Fechin. "The Russians are so loose, but so honest," he explains. Dan is quick to credit his wife Jennifer, whom he married in 1988, for her emotional support and objective critique. "She was a physical therapist, and knows anatomy and muscle structure better than myself. She can catch flaws I would never see." Their son Nicolai was born in 1992. Dan Gerhartz' brilliant use of light and color has earned him numerous awards in his young career. His work has been featured in invitational exhibitions, including the Prix de West and the Artists of America exhibitions, as well as in public and private collections nationwide. He has taught workshops at the Scottsdale Artists' School and the Fechin Institute in Taos. "I always try to paint from the heart," he says. "Every day I thank God for the opportunity to do this."
Daniel Gerhartz’ brilliant oil paintings are fueled by the artist’s commitment to classic beauty and a profound sense of emotion. His soft-edged realism has a poetic and serene tone while his luminous palette gives his subjects a nearly iridescent appearance. The artist’s chiaroscuro technique cultivates a spiritual and dream-like presence within his paintings. Whether an idyllic landscape, a child’s face or the contour of the human body, Gerhartz often feels a spiritual connection to his subject matter.
Ballet and Brilliant Blue oil 48x30
Elegance oil 36x24 Mermaid oil 36x48
on the previous page:
“There is such a profound message in all beauty.”
-Daniel Gerhartz
Winter Pasture oil 24x20 Before the Sun Sets oil 40x30
on the previous page:
For Gerhartz’ 2018 solo show, “Pairings,” the Wisconsin artist has painted a series of works that portray harmony and balance between two opposing beings or ideas. “It adds another layer, which I love,” says Gerhartz of his painted dualities. “Whenever I’m building a piece with two figures there’s always one that’s dominant, usually making eye contact or engaging with the viewer, but that figure is not always visually dominant. I’m really balancing between design elements and the emotional aspect of the work. In the end, I’m just trying to build a strong work of art.”
Fragrance and Radiance oil 26x24
In Bohemian, for example, the female figure is the engaged presence, gazing at the viewer behind her male counterpart. Her figure is partially obstructed by his guitar while his attention is held by something outside the picture plane. The couple has a loose and luminous quality as they stand by the ocean where they’re touched by a soft breeze. “There is a contented look on her face but it’s a mystery as to what she’s thinking,” says Gerhartz of the female figure in this painting. “If I over delineate the narrative, it limits what the viewer can bring to the piece.”
Bohemian oil 30x30
Opal oil 28x20
According to Gerhartz, Norman Rockwell and Alphonse Mucha also painted background figures that made subtle connections with the viewer. “It’s where I get a lot of my design sensibilities,” he says of their work.
Hope Springs Eternal oil 30x18
Harmony oil 48x24
Spring’s First oil 18x12
Other dualities for “Pairings� include ballet dancers - a recurring theme for Gerhartz - as well as familial relationships. In other works, a second presence is merely suggested in a still life setting or with a solitary introspective figure. Gerhartz hopes that viewers layer their own experiences into his paintings and resonate with the emotions he puts forth.
Dancing on Air oil 36x40
2018 Portrait Society of America The Art of the Portrait Conference, Finalist
Of Beauty and Mystery oil 18x18
Gilded oil 10x8
Ribbons of Light oil 48x60
Steadfast oil 20x24
on the next page:
Cathedral Light oil 16x12 In Black Ink My Love Shall Still Shine Bright oil 18x30
Daniel Gerhartz
Pairings |
Solo Exhibition
Ballet and Brilliant Blue Before the Sun Sets
48x30 40x30
$27,000 $22,000
Bohemian Cathedral Light Dancing on Air Fragrance and Radiance Gilded Harmony Hope Springs Eternal In Black Ink Mermaid Of Beauty and Mystery Opal Ribbons of Light Spring’s First Steadfast Trio in White Winter Pasture
30x30 16x12 36x40 26x24 10x8 48x24 30x18 18x30 36x48 18x18 28x20 48x60 18x12 20x24 9x12 24x20
$16,800 $4,900 $27,000 $13,000 $2,900 $22,000 $12,500 $12,500 $32,000 $7,200 $11,500 $49,000 $4,900 $9,800 $3,900 $9,800
Daniel Gerhartz Education
The American Academy of Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 1983 June 1985 Studied with artist/instructor John Baitinger, Kewaskum, Wisonsin Studied with artist/instructor Richard Schmid, Chicago, Illinois Studied figure drawing with artist/instructor Bill Parks at American Academy of Art
Select Awards
Nona Jean Hulsey-Buyer's Choice Award, Prix de West Invitational, NAWA, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma, 1999, 1994, 1993 Robert Lougheed Award, Prix de West Invitational, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1998 Silver Medal for Oil, National Academy of Western Art Exhibit, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1993 Buyer's Choice Award, Northwest Rendezvous Exhibit, Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah, 1992 John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Foundation Scholarship, 1998 Chicago Municipal Art League Award, 1988 President's Award - American Academy of Art, 1985 Faculty Recommendation Scholarship - American Academy of Art, 1985
Museum Collections
West Bend Art Museum, permanent collection, West Bend, Wisconsin, 1989 Huntsville Museum of Art, permanent collection, Huntsville, Alabama, 1997
Daniel Gerhartz
Pairings
Trio in White
July 6-19, 2018 | Solo Exhibition Artist Reception Friday, July 6, 5-7 PM
225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com
oil 9x12