Union - A Group of Uniformed Soldiers Standing in an Open Field, Oil on Linen
Located in Chicago, IL
A group of uniformed soldiers gather in a grassy field. We see cannons yet must bring our own decisions about what is about to transpire. Painted in the loose style of Winslow Homer, "Union" by William Blake captures a scene in a Civil War Reenactment as the Union Army's Artist Reporter. Portraying Homer as an Artist-reporter, Blake has to be more than merely good draftsmen. He has to be an astute observer, have an instinct for story and drama, the ability to sketch quickly and accurately, and no small amount of daring, as he faces battles first hand. As for the paintings, William uses materials and methods of the Civil War era. The linen on which he paints was in use at that time as well as the tubed oil paints. He is one of the few artists who tacks his canvas to the stretchers using similar tacks that would have been used by Winslow Homer. While he leaves the works unframed for this reason, the artwork could certainly be framed. Please contact the gallery for framing options. William Blake Union, 2022 oil on linen 24h x 36w in 60.96h x 91.44w cm WIL034 Known for his highly charged depictions of Civil War reenactments, William Blake’s powerful paintings show the recursive bodies of reenactors as they gesture across time. Participating in over 40 reenactment events, Blake currently interprets as the artist-correspondent Winslow Homer at these battle reenactments. He immerses himself in the materiality of his own obsession by constructing period clothes, camping on battlefields, and documenting the reenactment similar to Homer’s documentation of the authentic war. The figures in the paintings reverberate the past with respect and with a desire to educate, humble, and play. With each annual iteration of American Civil War reenactments, the reanimation of the past encourages a review of history and aids in its continuous revision. For his second exhibition with Gallery Victor Armendariz, William Blake presents A Great Battlefield, a collection of new paintings depicting US Marines...
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
