Up Close and Personal
Exploring my latest work in progress and the link to painter Alex Katz
As I continue working on Esme’s portrait, I think about the thousands of hours I've spent staring at dogs and painting them as I developed my painting style. I tried painting dogs with patterns and flowers surrounding them. I didn’t like those. Then I tried making little scenes, but I found it distracting. I eventually realized I could remove the dog from their context. The result made my paintings intentionally intimate and minimal. I wanted the dog to hold eye contact with the viewer.
Here is Esme’s portrait. Obviously, a work in progress
I want to make her closer up and in your face. The way she stares at me. I will share the continuing progress in next week’s newsletter.
My painting style is not random.
Art historian Susie Hodge, in I Know An Artist: The Inspiring Connections Between the World’s Greatest Artists, asserts
“Artists have never worked in a vacuum. Every work of art is a culmination of many events, incidents and situations…One of the most fascinating aspects of art and art history is learning about the links and connections and seeing how, why, and where they occur, how they emerge and evolve into works of art or even entire art movements.”
Previously, I have written about how contemporary artist Tracey Emin was influenced by Edvard Munch. And how Munch’s drawings and paintings influence me.
This week, I will briefly introduce artist Alex Katz.
Katz was born in New York in 1927. He is still working today, in his 90’s. Katz is known for his individual portraits with flat backgrounds. He removes all unnecessary details. Just as I had done in my paintings. He often says, “It is hard to paint this simply.”
His portraits are both familiar and intimate, even when on a huge scale. Many of his works are billboard-sized. The close-ups began in the 60s, when he started mimicking movie close-ups. His subjects are from his own life, including his wife Ada, whom he has painted over 200 times.
I wasn’t familiar with Katz’s work when I started on my own painting journey. However, when I saw his work, it confirmed that I was on the right path.
In 2022, the Guggenheim presented an 80-year retrospective: Gathering
With so many paintings, it was hard to pick just a few to share.
Of course, he painted dogs. Whenever I share his dog paintings, they are very popular.
Katz has been influenced by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, Edvard Munch, and Gustave Courbet. Katz wrote a book, Looking at Art with Alex Katz, exploring all his influences, which is described as “a private museum tour of art history.”
“Art doesn’t progress, it just changes.” - Alex Katz
References and Further Reading :
I Know An Artist by Susie Hodge
Roundup: Dogs of Art History
Louis XV, King of France [1710-1774], commissioned Oudry to immortalize his favorite dogs. These dog paintings were intended for the decor of the Château de Compiegne, located north of Paris.
If you enjoyed this post
You have such a beautiful smile, it shines all round that it's ambiance is noticeable, like spring breeze or the sent of roses during summer. You're beautiful and it's to be seen more visibly and appreciated with admiration. Plus I think your work is fabulous.