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Mark Beard
Gondolier (Figurative Painting of Man in Venice by Mark Beard, Bruce Sargeant)

date unknown

About the Item

Academic style figurative oil painting of a muscular male gondolier with Venice's St. Mark's Campanile in the background "Gondolier" painted by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, and figurative painter, John Singer Sargent) Oil on canvas, signed upper left 14 x 11 inches unframed, 20 x 17 inches in a silver frame with wire backing Excellent condition, ready to hang as is This vertical, figurative painting of a handsome gondolier was made by Mark Beard under his fictitious artistic persona, Bruce Sargeant. Painted in a modern Academic style, the stoic gondolier is seen posing with the classic pin stripe and hat uniform, while Venice's iconic skyline is depicted in the foreground. The model's muscular build is accentuated with deep shadows that contrast against his cool, statuesque skin tone. His cheeks and forearms are highlighted with a flush pink, further sensualizing his figure. The painting is complemented with a silver frame and is signed by the artist in the upper left. About the artist: Mark Beard is perhaps the most literal example of an artist pulled in so many different directions that he chose to “invent” six different personae in which to channel his overflowing energy and need for expression. Each painting style is radically different from the next, so it remains entirely believable that the work could stem from six completely different people of different time periods and different schools of thought. With a background in set design, Beard has always been one who could conjure total magic with anything available. For this exhibit, he returns as the beloved 20th century painter from England, Bruce Sargeant, featuring a parade of Arcadian scenes suggesting afternoons of young men sporting in the countryside, rowing, bicycling, hunting or wrestling. Clean shaven, well manicured youths pose casually, indulging every opportunity to display a titillating flex of stone-like musculature. Like modern Greek statues, Beard paints these prestigious figures oftentimes in pairs of twos and threes in a lazy state of beautiful passivity. Mark Beard keeps himself fresh with challenge, undertaking ambitious commissions and committing to weekly sketch sessions with live models in his Manhattan studio. The result of this dedicated practice is a stunning array of graphite and conte crayon drawings on Arches paper. Mark Beard, born in 1956 in Salt Lake city, now lives in New York City. His works are in museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; the Museum of Modern Art, New York City; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; and the Harvard, Yale, and Princeton University Art Museums; among many others. We would not be the least bit surprised to see new ‘personas’ emerge in the coming years.
  • Creator:
    Mark Beard (1956, American)
  • Creation Year:
    date unknown
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Hudson, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2279755812
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