Espirit de Corps
by Wendy Artin
November 2nd – December 9th, 2007
In her continuing exploration of the human figure, Artin has recently been focusing on life-sized charcoal drawings of the nude. These large-scale works are complemented in the exhibition by figurative watercolors as well as an assortment of landscapes and still life paintings. “These nudes are my models eternalized in an instant of immobility, as epic statues,” says Artin. “I try to have the mark move over the paper as though it’s moving over the surface of the figure. There are no lines; the edges need to always be able to breathe. I love the way the charcoal clings to the surface of the paper.”
In a recent issue of American Artist Magazine dedicated to drawing, Ephraim Rubenstein says of Artin’s work that, “her response to the patterns of light and shade as they hit and describe the figure is so immediate that we feel we are looking at something truly in movement.” He goes on to remark that her models “dance before us” and that “this combination of movement and palpability is what makes [the drawings] so infinitely sensuous and graceful.”
The large charcoal figures came after years of working on fleeting poses in watercolor, a quickly evaporating medium. Artin had a great desire to work on a larger scale and in higher detail, to delve more deeply into the figure. She wanted the drawings to be very detailed, like rubbings, or bas-reliefs, emerging from the paper. As with her previous work, light and shadow are essential and absorbing, drawing the viewer into each body’s detail. “The drawings were meant to make you feel the pose yourself, “ says Artin. They are a celebration of the body and its movement.”
Esprit de Corps is Gurari Collections’ sixth exhibition of Wendy Artin’s work. As the exhibition title suggests, this show engages and reflects a “spirit of the body” commonly shared by these extraordinary figure drawings and watercolors. The enormous popularity of her work among new and former collectors is worldwide.