Fine Art Connoisseur May/Jun 2018

When you admire a work of art, do you ever wonder what went into its creation? When someone asks plein air painters, “How long did it take you to paint that?” they are sorely tempted to reply, “Three hours and 30 years.” They mean, of course, that it took decades to reach a point where they can make superb paintings in just three hours. Though it’s not unusual for aficionados to watch artists work, they rarely consider what kind of training and experience occurred before the artists attained enough confidence to do so in front of others. This came to mind in March as I was painted by three accomplished artists — Kerry Dunn, JaFang Lu, and Nell O’Leary — during an eight-hour Facebook Live broadcast. Through our conversations, I…

WE are all in this together. Everyone who reads Fine Art Connoisseur believes not only in representational art, but also in the talent, training, rigor, and dedication required to attain excellence in this field. Though the artists appearing in this issue are generally faring better than their counterparts did, say, 40 years ago, it’s still not easy for them to get noticed or make a living, so I’m always keeping an eye open for kindred spirits in other cultural sectors from whom we might borrow ideas. Recently I learned about the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, established in 2016 to preserve master craftsmanship by celebrating artisans’ capacity to make something of lasting beauty with their hands. The foundation supports people who make — for example — lace, leatherwork, haute…

For the artist Reginald Marsh (1898–1954), the New York street life worth capturing included the Third Avenue El (elevated train) and the ominous shadows it cast, the Bowery’s drunkards, and women vamping along the Coney Island boardwalk. The artist could often be found behind a steel girder furiously and furtively sketching passersby on the sidewalk. In this ink and watercolor wash drawn from exactly such a vantage, we see one of Marsh’s favorite types passing by — an attractive woman in a flouncy dress, with a purse dangling from her right hand. “That idealized woman appears, verbatim, in many of Marsh’s works,” says Todd Weyman of Swann Auction Galleries, which is selling this one-of-a-kind drawing in its American Art sale. “She alone shows what a master draftsman he was.” The…

Frank DiLella knows famous faces. As host of the New York-based On Stage television show, the charismatic and handsome DiLella has a face that’s become famous to his viewers, as well as to the Broadway actors, directors, and choreographers he interviews on air. “If that’s true, that I’m recognized, to some degree, then I should say also that I completely, honestly, truly love what I do, being a voice for the performing arts community. I’m humbled by the talent I encounter.” While some people post their favorite faces on Face-book or Instagram, DiLella displays many of his choices on what he calls the “gallery wall” in his Manhattan apartment. Hanging there are photos of stars he has befriended and interviewed, including Vanessa Redgrave and Tommy Tune, along with 1940s images…

Something decidedly new is happening in realist art. Around the world, ever more painters are breaking free of tradition, technical precision, and — dare I say it — predictability. They are blurring edges into their backgrounds, leaving passages unfinished, and abstracting forms to better convey their themes. Recently I met with a baker’s dozen of these innovators to discuss how their work has changed and to observe the freedom they now feel while experimenting with fresh methods and letting their curiosity breathe. Over the past quarter century, fans of contemporary realism have focused primarily on “tighter” painters who render form accurately, but now there is more room for unexpected elements conveying what the artist actually feels in front of his or her subject. Among the methods being adopted to help…

Summer in northern New Mexico is always delightful, but will be even brighter this year because Santa Fe’s Nedra Matteucci Galleries is presenting a retrospective of the Taos-based plein air painter Walt Gonske (b. 1942). On view from June 23 through July 21, the exhibition will encompass 40 works spanning four decades of Gonske’s career, all drawn from his own collection. “Being a prolific painter,” he explains, “it was not a hardship financially for me to hold a picture back occasionally when I thought it was a cut above. I did not have a long-range plan for these pieces but am glad now that I held on to them.” Born in Newark, New Jersey, Gonske grew up in Irvington nearby. After three years of art school in Newark, he worked…