Zack Zdrale

Pressure System, Male Nude Crouching on a Stone Pedestal, Original Oil on Panel

2022

This painting was inspired by Rembrandt's "Susanna and the Elders", especially Simon Schama's commentary on it, and the Me Too Movement. It depicts a vulnerable woman looking at the viewer, the male figure was derived from an Italian fascist sculpture. Rembrandt's painting depicts only one elder. It is assumed the other elder (or voyeur) is the viewer. This painting also contains references to global warming, surveillance capitalism and a thistle. According to the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, thistles "like all prickly plants are a symbol of the protective belt defending the heart against external harm and attacks". This piece is framed in an ornately carved black wooden frame measuring 25.5h x 21.5w inches. William Krug...

This artwork is framed. The framed dimensions are H 8.75 x W 12.25 inches. Zack Zdrale Quantum Man oil on panel 4.50h x 8w in 11.43h x 20.32w cm Zack Zdrale (b. 1977) takes a trad...

A study for a series of larger paintings based on motion capture studios, this painting combines classic technique with modern sensibility. Here the model balances next to a midcent...

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...

Cornelis le Mair (Eindhoven, July 3rd 1944) is a Dutch painter. This Romantic painter is famous because of his 17th century paintings. As a child, Le Mair already developed a talen...

Calvin Lai's (US based) "Trust" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts two acrobats with the female figure balancing on the male figure. Artist Bio: Calvin Lai's art i...

Calvin Lai's (US based) "Release" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude female figure, on her knees, arching her back as if turning into the colorful blue and red...

Calvin Lai's (US based) "Opaque" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a seated female with her face in profile and dappled in light. The painting is framed, with overall dimensions of 18 x 15 inches, Artist Bio: Calvin Lai's art is a mixture of medicine, meditation, and personal growth. He found early on that drawing was something he loved, and to make a picture appear lifelike became his goal. Through constantly drawing, his work began to breath, and his fascination with value and perspective led Calvin to become a student of realism. Eventually he moved from where he grew up in Los Angeles to San Francisco. There he studied drawing and printmaking at San Francisco State University. In 2008, he enrolled in the Academy of Art for illustration, but began painting instead. He found that he preferred the fine arts over commercial illustration...