Mark Beard

Two Boys Wrestling

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Modern impressionist style figurative painting of a family in a colorful park landscape “Park Spring” painted by William Clutz in 1996 60 x 50 inches in a natural wood floater frame Wire backing, signed lower right This figurative oil on canvas painting was made in 1996 by William Clutz as part of a series of works called "Crossings". These paintings were a study of NYC dwellers engaging in the simple, daily activity of crossing the street. In this piece, Clutz captures a joyful moment of a mother and father walking in a sunlit park landscape with their young child. Bright sunlight radiates through lush fall foliage and fills the scene with a soft orange light. With broad, expressionistic brushstrokes, he discovers the extraordinary in the ordinary, by emphasizing the effects of sunlight on the human form. The painting is in excellent condition and is framed in a natural wood floater frame. More about the artist: In New York in the early 50's and 60's, abstract expressionism was the orthodox approach to art at the time. However, Clutz was committed to his personal style that focused on abstracted human figures within urban tableaux. Working in a context of artists who challenged abstract expressionism's popularity in New York, Clutz established himself as a significant proponent of abstract figuration. His paintings focus on human figures within the urban environment, often exposing the transfiguration of his subjects as they travel through the complex light of city streets or summer parks, as shown in two of his early works. Clutz's interest in working from direct observation of urban life was influenced by a long-standing interest in German Expressionism, as well as artists like Henri Matisse, Arshile Gorky, and Nicholas De Stael...

Blue (Sepia Toned Figurative Oil Painting of Boys on Bikes with Blue Ball) Contemporary figurative painting based on a 1960's photograph, plays deeply on feelings of nostalgia and identity. oil on wood panel 20 x 20 x 2 inches Carl Grauer’s 'Blue' plays with the tension between memories, the “return to home”, and the actual experienced past through the renderings of the family unit. Inspired by images on found slides or old family photos, Grauer provokes mixed responses of delight and sadness, reminding us that unlike space, time cannot be returned. Grauer paints 'Blue' in black and white, sepia tones, and blue oil paint on wood to capture the nostalgia of a vintage 1950's photograph. Two young children ride bicycles in a charming landscape while one child holds a big blue ball. The blue ball beautifully contrasts with the sepia toned landscape. The brushstrokes are smooth, with little texture built upon the surface. About the work: Recollections, a series that plays with the tension between memories, the “return to home”, and the actual experienced past, is an idea that I explore through the renderings of the family unit. Nostalgia comes from the Greek word nostos, meaning “to return to home” and algos, meaning “pain”. Before the rise of pathological anatomy and bacteriology made it less credible, medically; nostalgia was considered a “disorder of the imagination. Through time, nostalgia’s meaning became a more generalized reaction to the sad fact that, unlike space, time cannot be returned. I initially began with source imagery of found slides and photos of people I find at flea markets, second hand stores or from my own family’s collection. I take the source imagery and change elements to signify specific moments that could be seen as memories that are remembered or forgotten. I aim to represent nostalgic scenes that may relay a tension, sorrow or humor that could be constructed memories or actual experienced events. The exact narrative may be forgotten or unknown, but the complex projection of an idealized story that I find intriguing may serve to reflect a feeling or memory for another person. CV 1975 Born in Wilson, Kansas, USA EDUCATION 1998 Bachelor of Arts – University of Kansas 2000 Mastor of Fine Arts – University of Michigan 2015 Portrait and Figure Painting – London Atelier of Representational Art EXHIBITIONS 2016 "Petit: A Group Exhibition of Smaller Sized Art...