HUDSON — Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren St., Hudson, presents All Figured Out, a group exhibition of paintings that center on the human figure, with works by Mark Beard, William Clutz, Robert Goldstrom, Carl Grauer, Lauren Hamilton, Ransome and Caitlin Winner. The exhibit opens on April 26 and will remain on view through June 16. All are welcome to attend the artists’ reception 5-7 p.m. April 27.
A prolific artist across media with a penchant for art history, Mark Beard has focused on the figure throughout his career, whether in grand oil paintings, towering statues, or drawings of live models made in his storied New York City studio. In the early aughts, Beard was tasked with creating one of the world’s largest murals for the famous retailer Abercrombie & Fitch – All Figured Out will include several canvases cut from those very murals as well as a cabal of Beard’s figure drawings and sculptures. His work is held in numerous prestigious collections such as The Museum of Modern Art, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the Whitney.
In reflection on the late painter William Clutz, the art critic Gerrit Henry once wrote, “If there ever was an Impressionist of the contemporary metropolis, it is surely Clutz, an artist who has rejected the niceties of representation in favor of the quintessence.” I
ndeed, Clutz is at his best in his drawings and paintings of people moving through cityscapes, which are never without vivacious descriptions of light and a palette to match. Clutz’s work is held in numerous collections including The Met, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian Institution.
After making a name for himself as an illustrator, Robert Goldstrom devoted his energy to fine art, creating hundreds of paintings that engage a range of subject matter. In All Figured Out,
Goldstrom will exhibit an array of his Anatomy Studies series, which comprises closely cropped paintings of the nude male figure; hung together, these paintings amount to a composite of bodies arranged in theatrical poses. His work has been exhibited in New York, Provincetown, and Texas; featured on-screen in CSI, The Following, and Allegiance; and is held in collections such as the Smithsonian Design Museum.
Drawing from his background as a medical illustrator, Carl Grauer has long since worked in figuration. In 2012, the artist began his Two-Hour Portrait project, painting sitters in “mindful strokes laid with purpose and with energy,” with the goal of completing upwards of 1,500 portraits throughout his lifetime.
In his previous exhibition with Carrie Haddad Gallery, Grauer showed works from A QU(i)E(t)ER Interior, a suite of unpeopled paintings depicting his home. This is also the setting of his most recent paintings, though he has reincorporated the figure, namely that of his husband Mario. Grauer has been widely exhibited, both nationally and internationally, and teaches studio art at Marist College.
A theater artist turned fine artist, Laura Hamilton paints portraits that explore female identity and relationships throughout the ages.
Using her own likeness as the reference for the characters she creates – men as well as women – Hamilton paints pictures that are full of humor, nuance, and narrative complexity. She earned a BFA from Bard College and MFAs from Brooklyn College and the New York Academy of Art.
Somewhere between painting and collage, Ransome’s artworks are as rich in history as they are in color and texture. Pulling from a constellation of art historical references, from abstract expressionism to the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Ransome weaves narratives that are personal while relevant to the “larger social, racial, ancestral, economic, and political histories that inform our nation to this day,” as per his artist statement. Ransome holds an MFA from Lesley University, and formerly was a tenured professor at Syracuse University before retiring to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time artist.
In her works, Caitlin Winner expresses the simple “joys and tensions” of family life with the sensibilities of a Renaissance painting.
Winner began painting shortly after graduating from Wellesley College; over the next decade, she would study under artists whom she admired before pursuing art full-time in 2020.
In All Figured Out, her first exhibition with Carrie Haddad Gallery, she will show an assortment of large paintings on linen as well as several small color studies in gouache on paper.
Winner has been exhibited across the United States and abroad and is a 2022 recipient of the Martha Boschen Porter Fund.
For more information, call 518-828-1915 or visit www.carriehaddadgallery.com.