On the Shoulders of Giants

the O S n

houlders

of

Giants

MARCH 4-25, 2017

WESTBETH GALLERY · 55 BETHUNE ST, NEW YORK NY

This catalog was produced to accompany the exhibition:

On the Shoulders of Giants March 4-25, 2017 Westbeth Gallery

55 Bethune Street New York, New York 10014 212-691-1503 ¡ www.westbeth.org Hours: Wed-Sun 1-6pm

the O S n

houlders

of

Giants

Curated by Thaddeus Radell

Lennart Anderson Alix Bailey Donald Beal Rosemarie Beck Leland Bell Chuck Bowdish John Bradford Gandy Brodie Petey Brown Caren Canier Nicholas Carone Simon Carr Rob Dutoit Bruce Gagnier Marianne Gagnier John Goodrich Xico Greenwald Peter Heinemann Jock Ireland Al Kresch Mark LaRiviere John Lees Avner Levinson Stanley Lewis Ying Li Ro Lohin Lynette Lombard Younghee Choi Martin Louisa Matthiasdottir Jan MĂźller David Paulson Langdon Quin Thaddeus Radell Paul Resika Peter Ruta Dov Talpaz

MARCH 4-25, 2017

Westbeth Gallery New York City

O

n the Shoulders of Giants presents a selection of contempo-

rary painters and sculptors of the human figure, many of whom served as the teachers or mentors of other artists in the exhibition. The range of works reflects both a continuum of purposes and the way these necessarily evolve according to individual situations and temperaments.

Embracing many diverse and contradictory approaches, the figurative tradition has remained a central subject for painting, drawing and sculpture even when challenged by the rise of abstract and conceptual

art. In this exhibition the works are propelled by a strong sense of the figure, a vision of the human body not illustrated through formulaic pre-conceptions but forged in art’s inherent language of structuring space.

Born in a highly personalized and charged process, the form of the figure becomes inseparable from the language itself, whether a pre-imagined gesture is realized through the process, or the figuration is “discovered” during a more subconscious act of manipulating materials. What matters to the artists in this exhibition is the focus on the birth of living figurative form through the language of art.

—Thaddeus Radell

Lennart Anderson

Portrait of Richard Serrin

1953, oil on canvas, 30 x 22 in.

Estate of Lennart Anderson

Alix Bailey

Natasha Seated

2016, oil on linen, 56 x 40 in.

Donald Beal Muskrat Man

2012, oil on panel, 14 x 11 in.

Private collection

Rosemarie Beck Untitled

n.d., oil on linen, 14 x 18 in.

Private collection

Chuck Bowdish

Head, Orange Background

n.d., oil on canvas, 14 x 11 in.

Courtesy of Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

Leland Bell Self Portrait

1979, oil on canvas, 52 x 37 in.

Courtesy of Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

John Bradford

Expulsion of Hagar

2016, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Gandy Brodie Self Portrait

1955, oil on canvas, 30â…› x 24 in.

Courtesy Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

Petey Brown Under

2015-16, oil on linen, 30 x 24 in.

Caren Canier

Nadelman in His Studio I

2012, mixed media/matte acrylic on panel, 22 x 30 in.

Nicholas Carone

Portrait of a Young Lady

ca. 2007, oil on canvas, 19½ x 14½ in.

Private collection

Simon Carr Dog Walker

2017, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in.

Rob Dutoit

Figure in Light

2014, oil on canvasboard, 12 x 9 in.

Bruce Gagnier

B.K. (artist’s proof)

2017, hydrocal and FGR, 64 x 20 x 20 in.

Marianne Gagnier

Woman with Red Fish

2016, acrylic on canvas, 26 x 22 in.

John Goodrich Mailbox

2011-14, oil on board, 24 x 36 in.

Xico Greenwald Figure

2016, plaster, 27 x 19 x 14½ in.

Peter Heinemann Self Portrait

1980, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 in.

Private collection

Jock Ireland

Natalie’s Titian (Diana and Callisto)

2017, painted plaster, 27 x 26½ x 8½ in.

Al Kresch

Sleeping Man and House

2007, oil and acrylic on panel, 11½ x 16½ in.

Mark LaRiviere

Large Man, Heroic Figure

2014, painted hydrocal, 60 x 24 x 19 in.

John Lees

Into the Park

2008-2015, oil on canvas, 21 x 14¾ in.

Courtesy of Betty Cuningham Gallery

Avner Levinson Figure

2006, hydrocal, 16½ x 7 x 7 in.

Stanley Lewis

Couple in a Park

2015, oil on paper, 19 x 20 in.

Courtesy of Betty Cuningham Gallery

Ying Li Padma

2016, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in.

Ro Lohin

Portrait of K

2015, oil on canvas, 14 x 10½ in.

Lynette Lombard Heavy with Sleep

2015-17, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in.

Younghee Choi Martin Untitled

2017, oil on linen, 30 x 34 in.

Louisa Matthiasdottir Horses and Rider

1984, oil on canvas, 10 x 39 in.

Courtesy of Bookstein Projects, NYC

Jan Müller

Untitled (Two White Figures on Mosaic Ground)

ca. 1953-54, oil on wood mounted on wood shingle, 12¾ x 12¼ in.

Courtesy of Bookstein Projects, NYC

David Paulson Battlescene

2008, oil on board, 24 x 36 in.

Langdon Quin

Queen Mab Decides/Queen Mab Relents 2016, oil on canvas (diptych), 36 x 48 in.

Thaddeus Radell Lear

2016-17, oil and wax on panel, 48 x 38 in.

Paul Resika

The Leaving of Moses

2012, oil on canvas, 51 x 38 in.

Courtesy of Bookstein Projects, NYC

Dov Talpaz

Consoling Memory

2014-16, oil on wood, 28 x 40 in.

Peter Ruta

Woman at the Window

1954, oil on linen, 22 x 18 in.

Many thanks to Lori Bookstein, Betty Cuningham, Steven Harvey, Paul Resika and the estate of Lennart Anderson for the loan of works to this exhibition.

Special thanks also to Marianne Gagnier and David Paulson whose invaluable assistance made this exhibition possible.

Catalog design/photography: John Goodrich