Richard Saba

Jacob's Well

1983

Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1946 Education: Minneapolis College of Art & Design, B.F.A. 1968 Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, 1967 University of Washington, M.F.A. 1970 Awards: 2015 Basil Alkazzi Award for Excellence 2003/2013 Pollock/Krasner Foundation Grant 1969 University of Washington Research Grant 1967 Skowhegan School Scholarship 1965 Ford Foundation Grant Eric Gibson, the contributing editor of Studio International, writes: Richard Saba's work is rooted in the expressionist aesthetic, in particular that of Abstract Expressionism. His particular idiom consists of gesture painting in which vibrant but nuanced color plays a prominent role, the whole ordered by a vestigial Cubist structure. What sets his paintings apart from expressionism new and old is his effort to make his abstract language speak to broader issues about life and human values. That he succeeds is evident in the emotional scope of his work. It runs from broad and confident to restrained and introverted, and is possessed of a range and suppleness rare in contemporary painting. Such is his success at invoking more than simply the conditions of painting that are moments when one feels he has come as close to narrative art as abstraction can. Richard Saba earned his M.F.A. degree from the University of Washington after receiving his B.F.A. at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His work is in public and corporate collections such as the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, IBM Corporation, and EF Hutton. He has been featured in one-person and group exhibitions across the United States throughout the last 30 years.