Michael Costello

Dancers at the Bar 6

2013

An original realist pastel drawing by American female artist Catherine Koenig.

You are viewing one of a pair of stunning antique realist drawings by well listed Viennese artist August Gerasch. This piece was created with superb...

Charcoal and oil pastel on cardboard realized by Sirio Pellegrini in 1960s. Hand signed. Includes a wooden frame realized by the Artist. cm. 44x34. Sirio Pellegrini, born in Rome ...

The loose style of this drawing comes together quickly to convey the relaxed state of this nude female. The pastel accents bring a beautiful warmth to this drawing. Christopher Ganz Woman at Rest, 2013 pastel and charcoal on green paper 23h x 18w in 58.42h x 45.72w cm CG0062 -ARTIST STATEMENT- I depict my person in multiplicity with different selves representing dramatis personae. My likeness is both implicit and symbolic in the portrayal of my narrative; the drama involved in creating art and the artist’s role in society. I use realism to invite the viewer into mysterious inner worlds that are layered reflections of the outer. Dehumanizing environments are imbued with art historical references as a critique of power structures. The artist is an Everyman who is at odds with society and his self. Visually my work is a celebration of society’s dark undercurrents and its overlooked absurdities. I use charcoal and printmaking media as their tenebrous values add a fitting metaphor. The nuances of light and shadow seduce viewers into a world their better judgment would have them avoid. This provokes a sense of disquietude that causes viewers to assess our world through the austerity of a colorless, yet not humorless, light. -BIO- Christopher Ganz grew up in Northeast Ohio and from early on had a fertile imagination and an interest in art. Christopher's artistic education truly began at the University of Missouri, where his love of the human form led to many figure drawing classes and his exposure to the wonders of printmaking. Christopher's then went onto graduate school at Indiana University and a summer abroad program in Italy was a dream realized. Christopher then grasped charcoal with a renewed vigor and large, sfumato-laden drawings ensued. Christopher's artistic influences are many; from a seminal exposure to Dore's engravings of the Divine Comedy, to Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Goya, and up to Lucian Freud, Mark Tansey...