Gallery VICTOR Nude Paintings

Michael Van Zeyl Silverstone Yellow Jasmine oil on panel 40h x 40w in 101.60h x 101.60w cm MVZ005 ARTIST STATEMENT I'm currently working with figures and portraits and combine human forms with botanicals to explore our relationship with natural elements. Capturing the movement of the figure or an expression of a living soul presents endless possibilities and inspiration enabling me to blend with different themes. I've studied classical methods of oil painting with a focus on the 17th century Dutch Masters. The subjects I am drawn to are individuals with character, athletic figures and blooming floral arrangements with elegance and ethereal beauty. The reference for my work comes from my direct observation of natural day light in my north light studio illuminating and blanketing the form of my subjects. I am fascinated and challenged by the process of transforming a flat, blank canvas into the illusion of dimensional form, atmosphere and mood. That process is usually well thought out but sometimes painted direct and use intuition to complete my idea. Both of these methods present challenges but each way fills the void of the other and opens up the possibility of new visual ideas to meet my objective. BIOGRAPHY For Michael Van Zeyl, portraiture is much more than a one-sided translation of the artist’s point of view taking form in a subject. It’s an engaging visual dialogue that renders a soul in light, shadow and pigment, continuing the conversation for future generations to appreciate. While subtle observation and technical skill are only part of Michael’s gift, his experience has honed his craft to the highest standard. His talents were apparent by age seven and he spent subsequent decades mastering a wide range of painting techniques. In particular, 17th century Dutch and 19th century impressionist styles have resonated with him and surfaced in his own works. His formal training began at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, continuing on at Chicago’s Historic Palette & Chisel Academy and the Art Students League in New York, where he studied with the most accomplished artists who also paint directly from life under natural light. Michael is currently a faculty and board member at the Palette & Chisel and has been the club’s most popular instructor for several years. Michael’s work is already appreciated in many public and private collections, such as the United States District Court, University of Chicago, DePaul University School of Law, Chicago Theological Seminary and American Hotel Register. He has received awards from the Portrait Society of America, The Artists Guild, the Oil Painters of America and the 2014 recipient of the Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship for Midwestern Artists. EDUCATION 1987-1990 American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL 1999-2000 American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL - Life Drawing & Oil Painting Palette & Chisel Academy, Chicago, IL - Painting & Life Drawing Art Students League, New York, NY - Painting EXHIBITIONS 2017 “Anne Harris...

This painting, like each of the paintings in the Purple Dawn series, is based on an earlier work that was lost or destroyed in the course of time. Feeling that I wanted to finish wha...

Shakti, one of the most important goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, is really a divine cosmic energy that represents feminine energy and the dynamic forces that move through the unive...

Motion Capture #9 explores the conventional representation of females in Western figurative art yet contrasting it with the contemporary imagery of that subject via computer-based im...

As is generally the case with my paintings, this work proceeded from a place of unknowing. The specificity of imagery and technique belie the non-specific character of the ideas and narratives presented. The imagery is not tied to any pre-existent source (textual or other). It is not preconceived by the artist, rather it is produced spontaneously in the process of painting. That said, it seems both easy and sensible to connect the imagery in this painting to common cultural material, especially that from very ancient sources. The central figure is very much like a totemic Neolithic goddess- the sort of which seem to be among the most ancient artistic works, examples are extant from eras stretching back tens of thousands of years. A lot has been written about figures of that kind but of course no one can reasonably claim to truly understand them. Here the great goddess appears with wings and entwined serpents. Crowned also with a glowing orb she has become an emblem of a matristic hermetica. The smaller figure may be less evidently archetypical. She is a younger goddess, a daughter like Persephone to Demeter. She lifts the breasts of her mother signifying perhaps how the presence of the child evokes the nurturing qualities of the mother or how Persephone’s seasonal ascent from the underworld awakens in her mother the impulse to again give life to the world. The cluster of gynomorphic figures contained by the crescent moon at the center of the painting refer to the balanced transformations of the lunar cycle and their mysteriously harmonic physical manifestation in the vital cycles of a woman’s body. At their axis is the cycloptical abdomen of the figure enthroned on the moon. The entire totem rises from a terrestrial gateway into an open landscape. In the background megaliths obscure the horizon. They represent a first boundary in time- the beginning of history. Below is the gateway, the opening to an inner earth...

This painting, like each of the paintings in the Purple Dawn series, is based on an earlier work that was lost or destroyed in the course of time. Feeling that I wanted to finish wha...

Artist Statement—Motion Capture Studio Series. Andrew S. Conklin, a native of Chicago, Illinois, is a figurative painter. Conklin's paintings are a product of his direct interaction...

Oliver Hazard’s paintings are produced directly from his imagination and deals with a mixture of imagery he has witnessed in his travels, dreams, and read about in literature. The ar...

This classically painted nude model study demonstrates the artists understanding of the human figure. Surrounded by loosely painted lush fabrics, the model lies in a reclining position, her eyes closed, wearing only a pair of slippers. The quick, confident brush strokes in the background, combined with deft handling of paint in the figure combine to make this a painting for all time. Andrew S. Conklin Maureen Reclining oil on panel 10h x 14w in 14h x 18w in framed Andrew S. Conklin is a figurative painter. He holds an MFA from the Academy of Art University, and studied painting at the National Academy of Design in New York City with Harvey Dinnerstein...

The piece is based in the narrative poem Paradise Lost, written by John Milton in 1667. The author does a self-interpretation of Adam and Eve’s original sin and their later exile fro...

This classically painted figure study demonstrates the artists understanding of the human figure. A study for a series of larger paintings based on motion capture studios. Here the model is placed in a contrived position on a midcentury modern chair surrounded by props used in the motion capture process. Andrew S. Conklin Maro on Chrome & Yellow Vinyl Modern Side Chair, 2016 oil on panel 18h x 13w in 45.72h x 33.02w cm Motion Capture Paintings, Chicago My recent painting series describes the reality of motion capture environments by showing the interplay between female athletes and male technicians. These paintings are meant to explore conventions of female representation in Western figurative art and to contrast this past practice with the contemporary imagery of that subject via computer-based image technology. This project was instigated by a number of things: first, by my abiding interest in depicting the human form in paint, as I find its versatility in a design, its invitation to empathy, and its difficulty, to be something worth attempting to depict with success. In addition, my curiosity regarding the new ways to depict the form using electronic technology seem to challenge to the traditional methods I rely upon, and I wanted to comment on the similarities and differences between the studios of the painters and the technicians. In this way, I aim to continue my investigation into what I see as the contrasting quality of human nature, and symbolically represent opposites such as mind and body, analog and digital, realism and idealism, terrestrial and the transcendent. Andrew S. Conklin is a figurative painter. He holds an MFA from the Academy of Art University, and studied painting at the National Academy of Design in New York City with Harvey Dinnerstein...

Oberon is historically known as a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. Here he is pictured aloft, floating in space, with elongated arms and legs that twist i...

This is a classically painted portrait of artist and muse by Chicago based artist Andrew S. Conklin. Andrew's passion for Dutch and Northern Italian Baroque painting...

Andrew S. Conklin Lily in Blue Tights on Pluff Chair oil on linen 24h x 18w in 60.96h x 45.72w cm ACK012 Andrew S. Conklin Artist Statement—Motion Capture Studio Series Andrew S. ...

Oliver Hazard Benson Danubia acrylic on panel 10h x 8w in 25.40h x 20.32w cm OB0107 Oliver Hazard’s paintings are produced directly from his imagination and deals with a mixture of ...

Oliver Hazard Benson Dagon Colapesce acrylic on panel 11h x 14w in 27.94h x 35.56w cm OB0106 Oliver Hazard’s paintings are produced directly from his imagination and deals with a mi...

The classically posed dancer is juxtaposed against the iMac computer in Andrew Conklin's painting entitled "Nina with iMac Snow". While the computer is a technological marvel, it ha...

Seven deadly sins are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas, they are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Each of these can be overcome with the seven corresponding virtues of humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence. It is clear that as a subject matter, David Becker prefers the seven deadly sins to the virtues! David Becker Sloth oil on watercolor paper 31h x 22w in 78.74h x 55.88w cm DB0008 David Becker Exhibitions 2017 Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Cicago, IL 2012 Eye Teeth Group Show, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Rochester, MI 2011 Art Chicago 2011, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 David Becker Retrospective, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2009, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL The 184th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum, NYC Selections, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2008 Art Chicago 2008, Represented by Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Unruly Muse, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2005 SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago in the Park, Butler Field, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2004 Contemporary Prints: National Academy Museum Collection, National Academy of Design, NYC Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange, Manning, Riddoch, & Ballart Gallery, Australia Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2003 Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales, Australia National Academy of Design 178th Annual Exhibition, NY, NY 2002 Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art of the 20th Century, Ann Nathan Gallery, Park Ave. Armory, NY, NY Outsider Art Fair, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC Self and Other Portraits, Wisconsin Artists, Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2001  Beyond the 50's, May 4 - July 1, Exhibit A, A Gallery of Art & Design, Birmingham, Michigan Outsider Art Fair, January 26-28, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC "FANTASTIC ART", April/May, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange NSW, Australia. David Becker: Etchings and Engravings, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, solo exhibition of prints, February. 2000  Four person exhibition, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, Oct. 31 - Nov. 27, 2000. 1999 National Academy 174th Annual Exhibition, NY University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI Treasures Revealed: 19th and 20th Century American Works on Paper, National Academy, NY 1995 Bharat Bhavan International Biennial of Prints, Bhopal, India Contemporary Prints, Selections from John Szoke Gallery, NYC, Drew University, Madison, NJ Collection Update, 1994, National Academy of Design Museum, NY 1994 David Becker and Robert Sholties, Peconic Gallery, Suffolk Community College, Riverhead, NY In Black and White: Works by Four Printmakers, Atrium Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs Aesthetics of Athletics: Sports, Games, and Exercise, Charles A. Wustum Musem, Racine, WI GMI IX Award Winners, Art Center Gallery, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg 1993 Take Home a Nude benefit auction, NY Academy of Art Graduate School Of Figurative Art, NY 1993 American Prints: Last Half 20th Century, Jane Haslem Gallery, Washingtion, DC Outstanding American Prints, Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha,WI National Academy of Design 168th Annual Exhibition, NY David Becker: Etchings, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Portraits, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA 1992 The Print Fair, 7th Regiment Armory, NY 1991 166th Annual Exhibition, National Academy of Design, NY Alma College Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan Modes of Expression, Potsdam College, SUNY, Potsdam, NY 1990 With Nothing On, Prints and Drawings of the Nude, New Orleans Museum of Art, LA Prints by Printmakers, Staller Art Center, SUNY-Stonybrook, NY Publications/Reviews 2007 November 60 Years of North American Prints: 1947-2007, Boston U. Art Gallery, Boston, MA 2003 July 11 Isthmus, Madison, “Welcome to My Nightmare,” by Robert Cozzolino. 2001 March 14 The Wall Street Journal, "Time Off: A Week of Diversions." Review of Progressive Printmakers (LVM) exhibition. 2001 February Isthmus, Madison, "America's Printland," by Jennifer Smith. 2001 February Capital Times, "The Crowned Prints," by Kevin Lynch. 1999 July Progressive Printmakers: Wisconsin Artists & the Print Renaissance. 1995 – 1999 Who’s Who in America. 1993 Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. March 14 The New York Times, review. March 12 The Daily Oklahoman, review. 1990 Dec. 13 The Capital Times, review. April 28 The Washingtion Post, review. March 25 The New York Times, review. Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. Selected Collections - additional collections available on requestArkansas Arts Center Foundation, Little Rock, AR Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Brooklyn Museum, NYC Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI Elvehjem Museum of Art, U of Wisconson-Madison Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI Library of Congress, Washington, DC Metropolitan Museum, Miami, FL Museo de Arte Moderno, Cali, Columbia National Academy, NY, NY National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC New York Public Library, NY Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, MA United States Information Agency, Prague, Czech. Alberta College of Art, Alberta, Canada Albion College, Albion, MI Alma College, Alma, MI Art Center, South Bend, IN AT&T Corporate HQ, Plainfield, NJ Boston Printmakers, Boston, MA Bradley University, Peoria, IL Columbia Green Community College, Hudson, NY Columbus State University, Columbus, GA Davidson College, Davidson, NC Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA Georgia State University – Atlanta Hope College, Holland, MI Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Madison Art Center, Madison, WI Marui Imai Inc., Sapporo, Japan Milwaukee Art Center, Milwaukee, WI Minot Art Association, Minot, ND North Carolina Print/Drawing Society, Charlotte, NC North Texas State University – Denton Ohio University – Athens Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma State University, OK Quad Graphics, Milwaukee, WI Silvermine Guild of Arts, New Canaan, CT Springfield College, Springfield, MA St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY State University of New York – Fredonia State University of New York – Potsdam Trenton State College, Trenton, NJ University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ University of Colorado-Boulder University of Dallas, TX University of Louisville, Louisville, KN University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada University of North Dakota – Grand Forks University of South Dakota – Vermillion University of Tennesse – Knoxville West Chester State College, West Chester, PA Western Kentucky University – Bowling Green Private Collections Carla Leighton, New York, NY Marc Hauser, Chicago, IL Michael John Hofer, Chicago, IL Drs. Mark & Helene Connolly, River Forest, IL Jamie Kalikow, New York, NY Dianne & Jim Blanco, Chicago, IL Denise Roberge, Palm Desert, CA Tish & Philip Messinger, Creskill, NJ Brian Wesphal & Michael McVicker, Chicago, IL Ralph Privoznik, Lafayette, IN Candice Groot, Evanston, IL Shomaker/Ruud Collection, Chicago, IL Braden Berkey and Robert Bartlett, Chicago, IL Bill and Karyn Silverstein, Highland Park, IL Steve Weitz, Lovettsville, VA Mary Allice Wimmer, Madison, WI Ann & Robert Avery...

Andrew S. Conklin Paige Seated in White Leotard oil on panel 14h x 10w in 35.56h x 25.40w cm ACK013 Andrew S. Conklin Artist Statement—Motion Capture Studio Series Andrew S. Conkl...

Nereid is a sea nymph, a female spirit of sea waters. She symbolizes everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. Her melodious voice sing as she dances and twists on a sea ...

Getting out of one's comfort zone and ending the anxiety by rebuilding the lineal composition, the contrasts of color, textures and even the narrative. This happens just by throwing an impulsive stroke of red paint. While the figure is not in real danger, i.e. actually bleeding, but instead the red paint represents stepping out of one's comfort zone. It means to leave the status quo...

Andrew LeMay Cox "Love Nest" - Overgrown fields of amber grain freckled with flowers of many. On a perfectly sunny day and the wind is strong but gentle. There is no one else in s...

Seven deadly sins are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th ...

Seven deadly sins are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th ...