Peter Schenck

"Strengths and Weaknesses", acrylic, charcoal, art history, abstract, portrait

2018

The artists most obviously in Schenck’s pantheon are Picasso, Philip Guston, and Peter Saul. Their patriarchal power is noteworthy in the context of the Oedipal eyeballs repeated from one painting to the next; Schenck’s work manifests the anxiety of influence, but the ecstasy as well. The fear of painting in the wake of such magnificent and terrible fathers is palpable, but no less so is Schenck’s obvious delight in adapting their discoveries to his own purposes. His works demonstrate his mastery over his idiosyncratic cartoonish language, his personal world of symbols, and his palette, which is all his own. Schenck has arrived at a place in his artistry where he gets the last laugh. - Daniel Gerwin, contributing art critic to Art Forum, The Brooklyn Rail and Hyperallergic Peter Schenck / Artist Bio: Peter Schenck (b. 1983, New York, NY) lives and paints in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BFA from Boston University (2006) and his MFA from the University of Pennsylvania (2009). Schenck has exhibited his work internationally and nationally, including: Tales of Art Gallery (Imola, Italy), The Dot Project Gallery (London), Galerie Sebastien Adrien (Paris, FR), Young International Artists Art Fair (Paris, FR), Freight + Volume Gallery (New York, NY), BravinLee Programs (NYC), Andrew Edlin Gallery (NYC), Arts + Leisure Gallery (NYC), Lesley Heller Workspace (NYC), The Delaware Contemporary Museum (Wilmington, DE), Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, PA), Vox Populi Gallery (Philadelphia), TSA Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Victori + Mo Gallery (Brooklyn), Airlock Gallery (San Marcos, CA), HOLA Fresh Start (Santa Monica), and The Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science, and Technology (Santa Barbara, CA). He has been an Artist in Residence at The Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT) in 2015 and the DNA Residency (Provincetown, MA) from 2016 - 2021. Schenck has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Timeout New York, Juxtapoz Magazine, Two Coats of Paint, Wall Street International Magazine, Elephant Magazine, #FFFFFF Walls, and the Painting is Dead Blog. Schenck’s work is included in both American and international collections.