Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Mary Frank
Mary Frank Original Charcoal and Pastel 1984 Figure Drawing

1984

About the Item

Mary Frank (British/American, b. 1933) Chant, 1984 Charcoal and pastel on paper 41 3/4 x 29 3/4 in. Framed: 46 1/2 x 34 1/4x 2 in. Signed and dated lower right: Mary Frank 84 Midtown Payson Galleries Label Verso Mary Frank is known for creating stoneware sculptures that have the appearance of terra cotta fragments dug up at an archaeological site. Sometimes a half-finished relief head barely escapes from the clay; sometimes a figure, as in "Untitled" (1975), lies in pieces. Born in England in 1933, Frank had her first one-woman show at the Poindexter Gallery in New York in 1958, and has shown at least once a year ever since. She has taught at the New School for Social Research and Queens College and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Council of the Arts Grant and a Guggenheim award. Franks terra cottas transmit complex emotions, often of melancholy and quiet pathos. In "Lovers" (1973-1974), intertwined male and female figures made up of large, broken shards of clay lie in ancient-looking fragments that suggest both the transitory nature of passion, and its endurance through time. Fossil-like imprints of the stems of ferns and leaves are pressed into the clay of the torsos, reinforcing the sense of nature and of life long gone, yet leaving its forms behind. This emotional quality is combined in Franks work, with an intense interest in the formal qualities of clay sculpture. Broken edges and contours of the forms curl in and out, and alternate between jagged and smooth, positive and negative. The wings on some figures, and the edges of the draperies wave to give them an airy, floating quality. As in all fine clay sculpture, there is the ever-present sense of the artists hand shaping the material and feeling its way around the form. Biography sourced from the Archives of AskArt
  • Creator:
    Mary Frank (1933, English)
  • Creation Year:
    1984
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 46.5 in (118.11 cm)Width: 34.25 in (87 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Not examined outside of the frame.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: RU21stDibs: LU2211212813512

More From This Seller

View All
Norman Gorbaty Cubist Woman Pastel Drawing
Located in New York, NY
Norman Gorbaty (1932-2020) Untitled, c. 1996 Pastel on paper Framed: 39 1/4 x 30 x 1 in. Signed and dated lower right After graduating from Amherst College, Gorbaty was the recipien...
Category

1990s Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Norman Gorbaty Pastel Figure Drawing
Located in New York, NY
Norman Gorbaty (1932-2020) Untitled, 1996 Pastel on paper 19 1/2 x 27 1/2 in. Framed: 32 1/2 x 40 x 1 in. Signed and dated lower right After graduating from Amherst College, Gorbaty...
Category

1990s Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Ross Bleckner Group of 3 Double Sided Figure Drawings (attrb.)
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Attributed to: Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Group of 3 Double Sided Drawings Watercolor and graphite on paper Largest: 24 x 18 in. Smallest: 23 1/4 x 18 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo by Lisa Liebmann, in ARTnews, May 1993...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Group of 3 Figure Drawings by Attributed to Ross Bleckner
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Attributed to Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Group of 3 Double Sided Drawings Watercolor and graphite on paper All approx. 24 x 18 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo by Lisa Liebmann, in ARTnews, May 1993...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Ross Bleckner Group of 3 Figure Drawings (attrb.)
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Attributed to Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Group of 3 Double Sided Drawings Watercolor and graphite on paper Largest: 24 x 18 in. Smallest: 22 3/4 x 18 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo by Lisa Liebmann, in ARTnews, May 1993...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Graphite, Paper

Group of 3 Figure Drawings by Ross Bleckner (attrb.)
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Attributed to Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Group of 3 Double Sided Drawings Watercolor and graphite on paper Largest: 24 x 18 in. Smallest: 23 1/4 x 18 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo by Lisa Liebmann, in ARTnews, May 1993...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

You May Also Like

Woman at Rest, Nude Female, Pastel and Charcoal Drawing on Green Paper
By Christopher Ganz
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Water...

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Pastel

Untitled-055 Pastel Figure by Hans Burkhardt
By Hans Burkhardt
Located in Hudson, NY
Hans Burkhardt frequently used live models for his figural pastels, which he maintained an interest in throughout his long career. Untitled (1972) Pastel on paper 25" x 20" Signed a...
Category

1670s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Adonis, pastel drawing on oversize black paper, muscular male nude
By Audrey Anastasi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
These recently discovered 1983-84 oversize pastels on archival papers were created working quickly, in pastel. The series shows the last existing obs...
Category

2010s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Mixed Media, Archival Paper

Reclining nude, female figure pastel drawing on oversize black paper, colorful
By Audrey Anastasi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
These recently re-discovered 1984 oversize pastels on archival papers were created working quickly, in pastel. The series shows the last existing obs...
Category

2010s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Mixed Media, Archival Paper

"Pink Cheeks" American Modernist Robert Gilberg 1950 Ink and Pastel Nude Drawing
By Robert Gilberg
Located in Arp, TX
Robert Gilberg (1911-1970) "Pink Cheeks" c.1950s Ink and pastel on paper 12"x13.75" unframed Unsigned Good Condition - Wear consistent with age and history. Deep creases on upper le...
Category

1950s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Paper, Pastel

Love - Drawing by Jean Delpech - Mid 20th century
By Jean Delpech
Located in Roma, IT
Love is a drawing in watercolor and pastel realized in the Mid-20th Century by Jean Delpech (1916-1988). Good conditions with minor folding. The artwork is realized in harmonious ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Watercolor

Recently Viewed

View All