David Shapiro

Exceptional Monumental David Shapiro Abstract Painting

1983

"New York artist Robert Reitzfeld has a devoted cult following, but his paintings are not nearly as well known as they ought to be....The paintings show a witty merger of Pop art idioms and post-painterly abstraction, like a mutant blend of John Wesley, Michael Bevilacqua and Gerhard Richter. In each of the exuberant compositions, Reitzfeld offers a unique balance of formalist elements and absurdist drama." from David Ebony's Top Ten @ Artnet At first, Robert Reitzfeld's distinctive melange of Ab Ex. Pop, Op and other postwar painting styles appears to be a send-up of the source material. Among the 25 recent paintings and works on paper in this show, a number of pieces, including Minnie Mouse, Olive. Che. Marilyn and others, feature cartoons and familiar Pop-art iconography, Reitzfeld's versions often appropriating passages from Warhol and Lichtenstein. But Reitzfeld's images are very often fragmented, with roughly torn edges in the paper pieces and colorful abstract passages of paint in the canvases obscuring and sometimes rearly obliterating the subjects. Rather than a nihilistic gesture, however, his distortions may be viewed as a kind of archeology of recent art. They also reveal a rather personal relationship with specific works that have inspired the veteran New York artist over the years. 1961, I Was There (2007), for instance, Is a painting featuring Donald Duck in his blue-and-white sailor suit—a fragment of Lichtenstein's 1961 painting Look, Mickey!, partly painted over with layered patches of red and pink acrylic as well as a sprinkling of glitter. The title of Reitzfeld's piece alludes to his attendance at a 1961 opening at New York's Sidney Janis Gallery, where Lichtenstein showed this seminal Pop work. Reitzfeld is at his best here in several relatively large (about 36 inches square) intricate hard-edge compositions, such as TBT 56 (Marriage), 2006, and T8T 63 (2007). The latter contains another Lichtenstein reference: a detail of the Whitney Museum's 1973 Still Life with Crystal Bowl set...

Large acrylic painting by Pat Rosenstein, American Woman Artist, graduate of Pratt Institute whose work has been exhibited extensively. Rosenstein, who...

Paul Brach (American, 1924-2007). Cluster #3 Acrylic on canvas with collage metal stars on it. Paul Henry Brach, (born March 13, 1924 in New York City - d.November 16, 2007 in Easthampton, New York) was an American abstract painter and a lecturer and educator. As an abstract painter Paul Brach exhibited his work in New York with the Leo Castelli Gallery, the Cordier & Eckstrom Gallery, and with the André Emmerich Gallery and then later with Flomenhaft Gallery. Paul Brach's estate is represented exclusively by Eric Firestone Gallery. Paul Brach was born in New York City and was raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx. He went to the University of Iowa where he studied painting with Grant Wood. He served in the US Army during World War II. After the war, he finished school in Iowa on the GI Bill. At the University of Iowa he met the artist Miriam Schapiro and in 1946 they married. By 1951 they moved back to New York City and befriended many of the artists in the downtown Abstract expressionist New York School, including Joan Mitchell, Larry Rivers, Knox Martin and Michael Goldberg. He was associated with the New York print studio Atelier 17 (Stanley Hayter) During the early 1960s Brach had part-time teaching jobs at The New School, Cooper Union, The Parsons School of Design and Cornell University's New York City Program. In 1967 Brach and his wife Miriam Schapiro moved to Southern California. He became the Dean of the CalArts program in Los Angeles in 1969. As dean of the School of Art at the California Institute from 1969 to 1975, Mr. Brach hired John Baldessari, Allan Kaprow and the critic Max Kozloff, among others. He helped to create a freewheeling experimental atmosphere out of which emerged artists like David Salle, Eric Fischl, Barbara Bloom...

"First Rain at San Miguel de Allende", mixed media, acrylic and collage on canvas, signed lower left, titled, signed and dated 1984 verso, depicting a verdant tropical landscape with a pool with koi fish, in a n abstracted view with in an oak bullnose frame with burlap mat and gold liner, frame size: 53" x 37", canvas size: 48" x 32". Leonard Brooks (Canadian-Mexican artist) was born in Enfield, London, England, in 1911. He emigrated to Toronto, Canada with his parents. after seeing a lecture on Canadian art by Arthur Lismer, in which the Group of Seven painter described his love for the natural beauty surrounding them he decided he was going to become a painter. He took evening art classes at the Toronto Central Technical School (c. 1928); at the Ontario College of Art for six months under Frank Johnston. He then travelled and painted in England, France, Spain and in the United States at Woodstock, New York. On his return to Canada he settled in Toronto and in 1935 married Reva Silverman. He taught drawing, painting and graphic arts at the Northern Vocational School and was active in art circles and participated in most of the major exhibitions in Canada, and the U.S. and in the Canadian Section at the 1936 World's Fair. He began painting activities on the Great Lakes around 1939, visiting various docks and many of the ships that arrived and departed from the Great Lake ports. During World War II he left his teaching post in 1943 to enlist in the Navy (RCNVR) as an Able Seaman (1943). He was promoted to Petty Officer, then to Sub-Lieutenant in August of 1944. In September was appointed Official War Artist. Overseas he went aboard warships to paint the activities of minesweepers, motor torpedo boats off the coast of Normandy, in the Channel, off the East Coast and on the aircraft carrier HMS Puncher in waters off Scotland. On his return to Canada he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Following his army discharge he went to Mexico on a D.V.A. grant to study and decided to take up residence there with his wife Reva. The couple were early members of what became a well known colony of artists in that town, other Canadian artists such as York Wilson, Fred Taylor, Michael Forster and Fred Powell followed him there. He studied under Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, while his wife Reva pursued photography. Their impressions of Mexico appeared in Canadian Art (Spring, 1950). Critic Rose MacDonald in the Evening Telegram wrote, "Like Siqueiros he paints in the abstract only as an exercise with a view to clarification, believing that this is the purpose of abstract painting . . . ." Since that time his figurative work evolved from abstract, to non-objective, to free-form collage acrylics with rich texture. Some of his paintings have been transposed into large tapestry works by five Mexican weavers under his direction. Leonard and Reva held a joint exhibition of their works in a number of centres including Eaton's Fine Art Galleries, Tor. (1949). Leonard Brooks has worked in a variety of media over the years including oils, acrylics, water colours, casein, duco, polymer, wax, and graphic mediums. He has written a number of books on painting techniques including: Watercolor A Challenge (1957); Oil Painting Traditional and New (1959); Wash Drawing and Casein (1961); Painting and Understanding Abstract Art (1964); Painter's Workshop (1969); Oil Painting, Basic and New Techniques (1971). He has had a lifelong love of music, is an accomplished player of the violin and has given free lessons to local Mexican children. He eventually was encouraged to head the music department at the Bellas Artes in San Miguel and as a result of his activity in music, an annual festival of chamber music is held which attracts players and listeners from around the world. He has held many solo shows during his career and his paintings have been exhibited at the following: Eaton's Fine Art Galleries, Tor.; Roberts Gallery, Tor.; the Cowie Galleries, L.A., Calif.; Childs Gal., Boston, Mass.; Ohio Univ., Athens; Kenyon College; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, San Francisco; San Antonio Biennial Interamericana, Mexico and at the 2nd Annual exhibition at San Miguel (1960) where he won 1st Prize. He is represented in the following collections: LAG, Lond., Ont.; U. Guelph; AGO, Tor.; NGC, Ott.; Can. War Museum, Ott.; Dartmouth College, N.S.; Worcester Art Museum, Mass.; Mus. of Modern Art, Mexico City; Ohio U., Athens; Slosberg Collection, Boston and in many private collections in Canada, Mexico and the United States. His teaching experience includes: Ohio U., Athens; Doon Sch. of Art, Ont.; UBC; Art Inst., San Antonio, Texas; Wells College, Aurora, N.Y. His wife Reva Silverman Brooks, began photographing his work to make a record, then gradually expanded her interest to record the Mexican people and their land. In 1952, Reva Brooks...

The Future Is Now explores geometry and colour, highlighting a split composition that plays with balance, tension, and contrast. On the left side, a deep black backdrop houses a stri...

"Primitive Beginnings" by Troy Smith is a vivid exploration of colour and form, reminiscent of early human artistry yet imbued with contemporary flair. Bold strokes of orange, green,...

Follow The Leader is an abstract exploration of movement and direction, using bold geometric shapes and contrasting colours to guide the viewer’s eye across the canvas. The compositi...

"Draw The Line" is a striking abstract composition that reflects the artist’s journey from birth to death. With a single continuous, winding line travers...