Révèle 2019 — WENDY ARTIN

Wendy Artin, After la Danse by Carpeaux, 40" x 54", watercolor, 2019

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RévÈle

November 2019, Gurari Collections, Boston

Writing by André Aciman
Writing by Pat Nicholson
Writing by Wendy Artin
Link to catalogue

Wendy Artin, Victoire de Samothrace, 26" x 42", watercolor, 2019

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Révèle is a selection of new figural work on paper, from large and small sepia-black watercolors of statues, to sanguine watercolors of live models, to chalk and charcoal drawings on brown paper... a reflection on stone, skin, water and light. Fragments of the human body, the fleeting glimpse caught in time, revealed. And figs!

Wendy Artin, Half Fig in Moroccan Bowl, 6" x 6", watercolor, 2019

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I love working from the figure, whether live model or statue. I love how universal the body is, how images of the human form resonate intimately with each one of us, the way a hit song or a favorite food are such personal but shared passions.

Wendy Artin, Giulia Twice, 22 x 27 cm, watercolor, 2018

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In these images the human body is present in all its pulsating life, its joy and fragility. The live models are in voluptuous poses, sprawled out after merriment and bacchanal.

Whether I am working quickly, or for months on a single tiny drawing, I try to have the images emerge from the paper with information that is just the right amount, almost there, or suggested, allowing for imagination, for breath, for relief.

Wendy Artin, Callista Sprawl, 17 x 24 cm, charcoal, white chalk, 2019

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The space to breathe has always been for me the white of the paper, which weaves in and out of the watercolor like a path. Making brown paper sing has been a fascinating challenge. I want the drawings to look as if they have just happened - poof! – as if white chalk has barely grazed the surface before flitting off again, like pollen.

And figs? Figs have been in season here in Rome, a gift from my poet neighbor, a celebration of life and irresistibility.