Internal Variations: Figures and Gestures, Brian Booth Craig, Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, (07-30 April 2016)

Share Button

unnamed

BERNARDUCCI.MEISEL.GALLERY

37 West 57 Street . New York 10019 . 212.593.3757 bernarducci@meiselgallery.com . bernarduccimeisel.com

BRIAN BOOTH CRAIG

INTERNAL VARIATIONS: FIGURES AND GESTURES

7 – 30 APRIL 2016

OPENING RECEPTION, THURSDAY 7 APRIL, 5 – 7 PM

New York City, NY – Louis K. Meisel Gallery, in conjunction with Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, is pleased to announce Internal Variations: Figures and Gestures, the gallery’s first solo exhibition for sculptor Brian Booth Craig. Specializing in the medium of bronze, Booth Craig’s work translates classically derived figures into contemporary icons. His female nudes subtly reveal their personas, transforming them far beyond the rigidity of the bronze that eternalizes them.

Intending to imbue his figures with a sense of agency, Booth Craig mixes 21st century gestures with surprising natural elements; some of the figures present their audience with unusual talismans that include bones, animals, and horns. Traditional compositional conventions are purposely ignored by the artist, who prefers to work from the individual cues put forth by his live models during the creative process. By intentionally replicating the body language specific to each model, Booth Craig captures moments of individual self-assertion; his verist figures stand dignified and defiant before their viewer, sometimes aggressively or unusually posed. Using gesture as his palette, he is able to adeptly convey emotional presence within his figures.

Through gesture, Booth Craig is able to nimbly depart from more traditional forms of verist sculpture. While his choice of subject reveals the beauty of the female form, the figures themselves are not idealized. Their bodies and faces are sculpted nearly to their model’s actual form. Rather than eliminating the various ambiguities and anomalies in the human physique, Booth Craig embraces them, thereby further individualizing his subjects.

Working from life, Booth Craig first sculpts in clay. The clay work is used to construct the mold from which the bronze will ultimately be drawn and cast. His figures are often created to scale; sculptures are often produced in both life-size and half life-size. He has worked with both male and female subjects, and has also experimented with self-portraiture.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, sculptor Brian Booth Craig holds a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University (1993) as well as a M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art (2013.) He is the recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (1993) and is an Honorary Member of the International Sculpture Center (2013.) His works have been widely exhibited around North America since 1991, including two consecutive years at Art Miami (2014- 2015), Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans (2014) and multiple exhibits at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco. He continues to teach annually at the Rome Art Workshops in Rome, Italy.

Internal Variations: Figures and Gestures opens on Thursday, April 7th from 5-7pm, and runs through April 30th. A fully illustrated color catalog is available. Please direct all questions to Elizabeth Harris at Elizabeth@Meisels.com.

Share Button

Yorumlar kapatıldı.