Posts filed under ‘Figurative Art’
Harry Holland: Iconic British Figurative Painter
Harry Holland
born in 1941 in Glasgow, Scotland. (83 years old).
Nationality: British
Occupation: Painter, draughtsman, printmaker and teacher.
Influenced by: Holland’s work is influenced by various art movements and artists, including the hyper-realist tradition and classical still life painting. Harry Holland has been influenced by classical art and the techniques of the Old Masters, in particular the work of Titian and Velazquez. He admired the work of the 19th-century French painter William-Adolphe Bourguereau.
Movements: Contemporary Figurative art, Hyperrealism, Metamodernism.
Styles: Holland is known for his hyper-realistic style, particularly in still life and figurative painting. His style is distinctive, immediately recognisable and characterized by precise, detailed and lifelike representations of subjects. The paintings are suggestive in the sense that they imply situations, events, or relationships that are not directly expressed; this imbues them with an engaging sense of mystery.
The way Holland plays with the visual space adds an air of enigma and tension to the work. His contemporaneity is based on the study of classical values but also is seen as reflecting a wholly contemporary sensibility.
Subjects: His subjects often include still-life compositions, human figures, and everyday objects, rendered with meticulous detail.
Holland’s subjects often include mythological themes, nudes, and portraits. He is known for his ability to capture the human form with great accuracy and emotion. Harry incorporates motifs such as mythology and pathos to imbue his work with an enigmatic timelessness.
Genres: Primarily still life and figurative art, with a focus on realism.
Mediums: Holland works mainly with oil paints but also utilizes drawing and printmaking techniques.
Unique distinction: Harry Holland is considered one of Britain’s leading figurative painters. He is distinguished by his mastery of light and shadow, creating a sense of realism and depth that is both captivating and timeless. His works are celebrated for their technical excellence and emotional depth.
Achievements and the main contribution to Art: Holland is known for significant contributions to contemporary British and world art. He has exhibited widely across the UK and internationally, with his works included in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Family background:
Holland was born in 1941 in Glasgow, Scotland. He spent his childhood in various parts of the UK settling in London in 1949. In 1973 he moved to Cardiff where he lives and paints today.
Education background:
Holland initially attempted to study at Wimbledon College of Art, which fell through because of a lack of funds. He later pursued his artistic development through self-directed study and practice. Holland attended a commercial college and from 1965-69 he trained at St. Martin’s School of Art where he first exhibited in 1969.
Professional work experience:
1969: First exhibited his work.
1973: Moved to Cardiff, where he continues to live and work.
Holland has been a part of various art organizations and has held teaching positions, contributing to the education of future artists. He taught at Chelsea Community Centre, Coventry College of Art until 1972, at a series of art schools in the Midlands, then at Cardiff College of Art, 1974–8, when he left to paint full-time.
Since the 1970s he has had over 30 solo exhibitions and figured in countless group exhibitions worldwide.
Holland began to show with the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery, then the Ian Birksted Gallery in 1983, the Thumb Gallery in 1986 and later the Jill George Gallery.
Holland has had numerous solo exhibitions and his works are in many prestigious galleries, and corporate and private collections worldwide:
Tate Gallery, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; European Parliament Collection; National Museum of Wales; British Museum, London
Belgian National Collection; Heineken Collection, Amsterdam; Newport Museum and Art Gallery; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Contemporary Arts Society
National Portrait Gallery, Canada; Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh;
Senate of the Italian Republic, Palazzo Madama, Rome and also:
2014, Bernaducci Meisel Gallery, New York;
2015, Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff;
2018 “Models”, Matrin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff;
2019 “Whats the story”, Fidra fine art, Edinburgh.
Personal life: His long-term residence in Cardiff indicates a stable personal life possibly intertwined with the local art community.
Personality traits, Hobbies, interests: Holland is known for his dedication and to his craft. He often exhibits traits such as creativity and a passion for teaching others. His interests likely include exploring various artistic techniques and engaging with other artists within the contemporary art community.
Website: https://harry-holland.com/
Steve Hanks: A Master of Figurative Watercolors
Steve Hanks
February 26, 1949, in San Diego, California – April 22, 2015, in Albuquerque, New Mexico) (age of 66).
Nationality: American
Occupation: Watercolor Painter and Artist
Influenced by: The Pacific Ocean, surfing, and the music of the 1960s, particularly by the music of Bob Dylan, which he often listened to while painting.
Movements: Figurative Realism
Styles: Emotional Realism, characterized by detailed and realistic depictions of light and shadow. Backlighting is also a signature element of his style. He often leaves the faces of his figures obscured or turned away, not only to leave the face to the imagination of the viewer but also to allow the entire figure to express the emotion. Each of his paintings contains a mystery, and reveals the emotions and stories of the artist who created them. His paintings were highly detailed and realistic.
Subjects: Hanks’ subjects were mostly domestic scenes. Women and children, often in intimate and introspective settings. He loves to paint sunlight and according to him sometimes his work is more about sunlight than anything else.
Genres: Watercolor Painting
Mediums: Watercolor, oils, pencil, acrylics, and Etch A Sketch.
Unique Distinction: Steve Hanks is recognized as one of the best watercolor artists of his time.Known for his exceptional mastery of watercolor painting, achieving a level of realism and detail that is rare in the medium.
Achievements and Main Contribution to Art: Consistently recognized as one of the top ten American artists by U.S. Art Magazine, received the National Watercolor Society Merit Award, the National Academy of Western Art Gold Medal, and was inducted into the U.S. Art Hall of Fame. Hanks had a significant impact on the art world, particularly in the field of watercolor painting. Hanks’ impact on the art world was also evident in his role as a mentor and teacher, sharing his expertise and techniques with other artists.
Quotes
“The ocean made a strong and lasting impression on me. It was good for the soul to be out in the water — surfing, swimming, or simply getting in touch with its mysterious power.”
“I’ve tried to be responsible and put positive images out into the world.” “I hope that my work brings comfort, pleasure and insight into people’s lives.”
“Sunlight has become one of my favorite subjects. I’m fascinated by how it filters through things, how it floods a whole room with color. Often my paintings are really more about sunlight than anything else.”
Family Background and Early Life Experiences: Born into a military family, Hanks grew up playing tennis and surfing along the beaches of Southern California. He says that it’s good for the soul to be out in the water surfing, swimming and playing.
His father was a highly decorated WWII Navy flyer. The family moved to New Mexico when Hanks was a junior, and he attended high school there. He developed an allergy to oils, which led him to experiment with watercolors.
Education Background: Attended the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco, earning excellent marks in commercial art and figure drawing. He then transferred to the California College of Arts and Crafts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Professional Work Experience:
• Worked as a caretaker at a Campfire Girl’s camp in New Mexico, where he spent four and a half years experimenting with various mediums, including oils, watercolor, pencil, and acrylics.
• Consistently appeared in the list of top ten American artists compiled by U.S. Art Magazine since 1993.
• Received the National Watercolor Society Merit Award and the National Academy of Western Art Gold Medal.
• Featured Artist at the 7th Annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children in 2002.
• One of the top 25 selling artists in the June 2002 issue of Decor magazine.
Personal Life: Married to Laura, with whom he had three daughters. His marriage to Laura and the arrival of three children provided new inspiration for the artist. His family often appeared in his work, and he sought to capture intimate moments of their lives. Many lovingly rendered domestic scenes were added to the portfolio during those years. His work focused on capturing intimate moments he called “moments of introspective solitude.”
Personality Traits, Hobbies, and Interests: He was known for being a responsible artist who put positive images out into the world.
Hanks believed that art came from a deep inner sense of direction and was deeply affected by the emotions and music of the 1960s. Park West Gallery remembering Steve Hanks, wrote that thanks to his creativity, the multi-talented artist was even more recognized than his relative, actor Tom Hanks.
Aldo Balding – Short biography and most famous paintings
Aldo Balding – British Figurative Artist
born in 1960 in Southsea, England.
Nationality: British
Occupation: Figurative painter
Unique distinction: Aldo Bolding has been recognized for his ability to capture the essence and emotion of his subjects, his high level of drawing skill, as well as his pleasant and beautiful subject matter.
Influenced by: Sargent, Zorn, Sorolla and Munnings,
Movement: Contemporary figurative art movement.
Style: His style can be described as contemporary figurative realism, with a focus on capturing the human form and emotion.
He incorporates elements of realism, expressionism, and impressionism, characterized by vibrant use of colour, and a strong emphasis on capturing human emotions and stories.
Aldo’s painting style is also romantic, narrative and almost cinematic.
Subjects: His subjects often include portraits, human figures and everyday scenes, with a focus on capturing the individuality and inner life of his subjects.
Mediums: Aldo Balding works primarily with oil paints on canvas
The main contribution to Art: The chief peculiarity and novelty of his art lies in the ability to infuse his paintings with a sense of emotional depth and realism, to add an element of mystery to the paintings and let the viewer fill in the gaps to determine what is going on.
“I always try to put an element of mystery in my work,” he says. “You can suggest so much in a gesture, in the way someone stands. I like narrative in painting because it casts the viewer into a voyeuristic role.”
Aldo explains why so many of the figures in his work have their backs to us: “When a person is face-on, it’s a portrait, and the mystique is gone.”
In his paintings, he’s just telling his captivating, open-ended stories and trying to convey the feeling of the timeless feel of his work. “I prefer to think of the scenes I depict as timeless. They are little dramas that could be from any era.”
Aldo’s intention is to capture a moment in time, rather than an individual frame from a feature film.
He works quickly and a mid-sized painting normally takes between 2 to 3 days in an ‘alla prima’ style as he tries to keep the ‘wet-in-wet’ technique.
He prefers to be “stingy” in colour tones, using no more than five or six at any one time. “I consider myself a tonalist painter, – Aldo says, – though colour is another tool I like to employ to influence mood. I look for colour harmonies that already exist in the subject. .”
Awards: Aldo Balding has been awarded ‘Best of Show’ in the Boldbrush Competition (2013), was an Arc Salon Finalist in 2004, 2006 and 2016, and took first prize in the NSE Exhibition and Artist International competition (2003) and Artist International first prize (2002).
Education background: He initially studied civil engineering and architecture before deciding to go to art school around the age of 22. He then studied Illustration and Graphic Design at The University of Southampton Faculty of Art and Design.
Professional work experience: Beginning his career as a freelance illustrator his work appeared in and on the front covers of numerous magazines including the Sunday Times Culture Magazine, TV Times and Punch and an array of advertising agencies. He moved to the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France in 2004 to become a full-time artist where he now paints and runs art workshops.
Throughout his career, Balding has exhibited his work in numerous galleries and exhibitions around the world. Balding is represented worldwide in galleries across the UK, USA, France, and South Africa. Balding’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries around the world, such as:
Solo Exhibitions
2020, 2019 Galerie Anagama Versailles
2020, 2015, 2013, 2011: Christopher Moller Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2008, 2006: Catto Gallery, London 2006: Alexander Gallery, Bristol
His paintings have been shown at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the BP Awards at the National Portrait Gallery.
The Frieder Burda Museum in Baden Baden also has his work in their collection.
Personal life: Aldo Balding was born in 1960 in Southsea, England. He was born and raised in the United Kingdom and currently lives in the South of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
More Paintings оf Aldo Balding
Aldo Balding (1960), British Figurative painter
Short Biography and Best Pantings|
Read More
Creative Vision 
You must be logged in to post a comment.