Albany Museum of Art

Albany, Georgia

912-439-8400

http://www.albanymuseum.com/index.html

 

Passion and Precision: Stephen Schatz and Bryan Haynes

 

"Passion and Precision" highlights the figural work of artists from Albany, Georgia, who work in two very different styles.

Stephen Schatz works in a vigorous painterly style. Using oil as his medium, he passionately layers the canvas with loose, bold stokes, sometimes finishing a work in a matter of hours. Because his works do not naturalistically portray what he paints, he emphasizes the subject's emotional state, as well as the feelings of the artist himself. Schatz uses strong forms and colors with heavy outlines to convey the precise emotion of the sitter. (left: Stephen Schatz, Head Study (Lashawnda), oil, 1999)

The paintings of Bryan Haynes surprise viewers with the true presence of figures presented in a two-dimensional form. Haynes paints in a tight, precise manner after going through a lengthy process of making photographic studies and sketches to set up the composition. At first glance, his realistic paintings seem to be following in the tradition of academic figure paintings. Upon closer inspection, however, one sees areas of selected abstraction - not every pucker of flesh is shown, not every hair on the head is painted. Haynes succeeds in giving us the essence of figure, without having to show us every surface and detail. And this dichotomy raises questions in the viewer's mind: is this figure meant to be realistic? Does it hint at a deeper emotion or passion? (right: Bryan Haynes, Artist Invocated as Object, oil, 2000)

Passion and Precision is being held in conjunction with another exhibition at the Albany Museum of Art, The Human Factor: Figuration in American Art, 1950 - 1995. This exhibition from the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden features some of the artists who have influenced Schatz and Haynes, including Richard Diebenkorn, Chuck Close, and Philip Pearlstein. Passion and Precision is on display in the East Galleries of the Albany Museum of Art from December 7, 2000 until February 4, 2001.

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