CaRt22
Contemporary Art in Realism 2022
1st Juried Exhibition
In the 1950s, the dominant artistic movement was Abstract Expressionism, an anti-literal and anti-figuration movement that emphasized a burst of emotion, shape, and color on canvas as a visual metaphor for an artist's inner emotional state in regard to subject, circumstance or matter.
Never formally organized as a group or a movement, the Contemporary Realists were a close network of friendships and artistic associations surrounding the New York School, an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians. This included Philip Pearlstein, Neil Welliver, William Bailey, Leland Bell, and Louisa Matthiasdottir, A number of Contemporary Realists, like Jack Beal, Nell Blaine, and Jane Freilicher began as noted Second Generation Abstract Expressionists, but by the mid-1950s were creating realist works. They began painting more traditional subjects like landscape, portraiture, domestic interiors, and still life, though with a contemporary awareness and technique influenced by various movements including the New York School's emphasis on capturing the everyday moment, and the color palette and line styles of their 19th-century artistic forefathers Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard.
Since the 1970s the term Contemporary Realism has been used generally for artists who practice realistic art with contemporary techniques. In a sense it established a foundation for artists who painted realistically to be viewed as contemporary and innovative. Many Contemporary Realists Lois Dodd, Alex Katz, and Philip Pearlstein are still active today, and their work continues to exert an influence.
Realism is very much alive and is gaining renewed traction with artists and collectors. Modern artists approach their subject in a realistic manner using contemporary and fresh techniques. Additionally, realism speaks to language that is universally understood and can be shared by everyone.
Juror: Christophe Vacher, two-time Emmy Award winner and Annie Award Nominee French artist
PROMOTION VIDEO
DETAILS
Exhibit Date: Friday, July 29, 2022 – Friday, September 2, 2022
Reception: Friday, July 29, 2022 from 6-8pm
AWARD WINNERS
Gold Award: Yuko Hays - “Morning Light”
Silver Award: Michael Wright - “Rodeo”
Bronze Award: Kenneth Kvamme - “Louie”
Honorable Mention: Marc Jones - “Maroon Bells”
Honorable Mention: Taylor Mouroufas - “Dr. Pepper Can”
Honorable Mention: Lynn Schwebach - “The Question Is”
GOLD
Yuko Hays
“Morning Light”
Oil on Linen, 16” x 20”
2021
SILVER
Michael Wright
“Rodeo”
Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 40”
2022
BRONZE
Kenneth Kvamme
“Louie”
Oil on Masonite, 12” x 16”
2019
HONORABLE MENTIONS
FINALISTS
SELECTED ARTISTS
Melissa Barbee, Loveland, CO - website
Tommi Bator, Greeley, CO
Lyse Dzija, Loveland, CO - website
Lisa Fricker, Denver, CO - website
Benjamin Harden, Arvada, CO
Yuko Hays, Loveland, CO
Marc Jones, Loveland, CO - website
Kenneth Kvamme, Fayetteville, AR - website
Tanya Levina, Brooklyn, NY - website
Patsy Lindamood, Huntsville, TX - website
Heather McGarey, Louisville, CO - website
Taylor Mouroufas, Antelope, CA - website
Tom Schukar, Fort Collins, CO - website
Lynn Schwebach, Fort Collins, CO - website
Alicia Thompson, Fort Collins, CO - website
Michael Wright, Lilburn, GA
JUROR
Christophe Vacher
Award winner and Annie Award Nominee French artist who has provided Backgrounds, Visual Development and Art Direction for Disney, Dreamworks, Universal Studios and the film industry since 1989.
About
Christophe Vacher, two-time Emmy Award winner and Annie Award Nominee French artist.
Christophe Vacher is a two-time Emmy Award winner and Annie Award Nominee French artist who has provided Backgrounds, Visual Development and Art Direction for Disney, Dreamworks, Universal Studios and the film industry since 1989. He worked in many small animation studios before joining Disney's Paris-based animation unit for three years, where he painted backgrounds for such animated films as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Runaway Brain" and served as head of background for the 1995 feature, "A Goofy Movie".
Relocating to California in 1996, he continued his art career with Disney, where his credits have included painting backgrounds and concept artwork for "Dinosaur", "Hercules," "Tarzan", the Stravinsky Firebird finale for "Fantasia 2000" and "Treasure Planet". He also worked on Dreamworks' "Shark Tale" doing concept Artwork and paintings.In 2004, he became Art Director on the animated segment of Disney's live action movie "Enchanted", then on the CG feature film "9", produced by Tim Burton and directed by Shane Acker, for which he got a 2010 Annie Awards Nomination (the equivalent of the Academy Awards for Animation) in the category "Best Production Design for a Feature Production". He worked for a few months as production designer on the movie "Heroes and Monsters" (which was eventually aborted) and as a visual development artist for Universal Studios on "Despicable Me". He is currently working at Hasbro studios on the CG animated "Transformers" TV series for which he won 2 Emmy Awards in 2011 and 2012 and was nominated again at the Annie Awards in 2012.
In parallel to Animation, he works on his own paintings for Art Galleries. Collectors from all around the world have been collecting his artwork. He lives in Toluca Lake, California and frequently travels all over the world.
Website: vacherartspace.com
Artwork by Christophe Vacher
JUROR’S STATEMENT
"First off, thank you and congratulations to all artists for their participation, and for giving this year's show the strength and high quality level it displays.
Each and everyone of you played a crucial a part in making it what it is today and the show could obviously not exist without your precious contribution.
Given the strong quality of all the entries this year, I should emphasize how much of a challenge it has been to not only select the paintings for the show, but to also pick the winners among those chosen images.
All the works were of high quality and it was in many instances a very close call to choose an actual winner.
In that spirit, if your work was not among the winners this time, please do not see this as a let down or a lack of quality, but rather as an encouragement to continue developing your craft and produce works of even higher quality next time.
As artists, it is in the challenge that we thrive.
I am glad to see that the resurgence of Realism in Art is a reality today, and that, coupled with contemporary themes and sometimes mixed with more abstract techniques, this creative field is again and more than ever open to a wide range of approaches and styles.
The World needs Art and Beauty and you are the hands that make it happen.
Again, congratulations to all!
Enjoy the summer and keep up the good work!"
Christophe Vacher
OPENING - SLIDESHOW
EXHIBITION - SLIDESHOW
CURATOR