Artist Investigation Project: Philip Pearlstein by Travis Mikolay

Model in Kimono on Drafting Stool, Oil on canvas, 1985.



Model on Cast Iron Bed with Airplane, #2, Oil on canvas, 2005



Model with Duck Kiddy Car on Killim Rug, Oil on canvas, 2005



Figure Lying on Rug, Lithograph in color printed, 1970



Two Nudes on Blue Coverlet, Color lithograph printed, 2007



Two Nude with Flying Goose Butterfly & Examination Chair, oil on canvas, 1999





Philip Pearlstein was born May 24th 1924 in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. He went on to study at Carnegie Institute of Technology. He received a masters at New York University in Art History. In the beginning of his career as an artist he painted mainly landscape scenes. The paintings were usually rock-strewn hillsides. Later he took up figure painting. He was a modernist but took the perspective as a realist.
• Born in Pittsburg
• Masters in Art History
• Started as a landscape painter
• He was a modernist
• Painted realistically even though it was reject by most modernist (http://www.mbergerart.com/pearlstein/about.htm)

Pearlstein was a Modernist and as much so as any of his fellow contemporaries. Though modernist were absolute in their rejection of the realist option Pearlstein felt compelled to reconsider the realist option. In so doing helped to reinvent the terms by which Realism could once again be made into a vital art.

In Pearlstein's paintings, the human body, placed in a corner of a floodlighted studio, has assumed a whole new range of plastic realities; for instance, the relationship of limbs to torso; the continuity of skin and muscle. The mass and weight of the body are emphasized in the unstudied character of the pose: all are normal in our experience, but the point of view from which we see them is so detached that the facts they represent seem new. (http://www.mbergerart.com/pearlstein/about.htm)

4. Analyze - you should select one of your chosen works and analyze it based on the elements of art and principles of design. Why is this work impressive? How does the composition contribute to its success? You may also choose to comment on material and media use in the artwork.

Model in Kimono on Drafting Stool 1985.
This piece is made anonymous by cropping the head and shoulders, but is also made individual by the details of hands, feet, knees, and breasts. The vertical drape of the kimono, echoed in the stiff line of the right leg, the back of the stool, and the droop of hand and breasts, is countered by the the horizontal edges of the silk pattern, the emphasis of the bent leg, and the lines of forearm, chair seat and wall moulding. All this foregrounds the light valued thigh and stomach, which invite us to explore at length the contrasts in muscle tension, color, texture and weight in the other parts of the figure — that is, to admire the physicality, sensuality and lived life of this body.
(http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/artist34.html)

Pearlstein is quite an inspiration to me. It is event that he has become a master at his craft. That craft is obviously painting the human body. The fact that he started out with a master in Art History and later learned to be a skillful artist himself is interesting. He first chose to paint mainly landscapes. I find that I can really relate to Pearlstein in is approach to drawing the human body. He uses the same approach for painting landscapes as he does the human body. I guess in a way you can look at the human body as a landscape.

I find it quite interesting that much of his paintings involve a mirror. This adds a real dimension to all of his works that involve a mirror. This also adds to the extreme difficulty. Another thing to point out is the fact that he usually has his subjects lay on a rug with a very complex pattern. This was quite interesting as to why people would want to make something more difficult for themselves. I am sure that he uses both the mirror and the complex rug to add to the difficulty to make sure his craft is sharp.

Overall I am impressed with his craft. I am not a fan of his style of art but that does not mean he is not a great artist. His skill and style is something to be admired. Looking back on his works I can see why he was recommended to the class.