Faculty Show 2019

Mary Qian, "Chicago"

A hundred years ago,  this painting might have been selected for the annual American Paintings and Sculpture exhibition at the  Art Institute of Chicago. Or maybe not.  Perhaps it would  have appeared too threatening to the kind of people who could afford to buy it.

Today, there's  zero chance that it would hang, even temporarily,  in the A.I.C.,  or any other local institution of the contemporary artworld.

Social issues may be of greater concern than ever -- but social realist painting is not -- unless it can be recognized as identity art -- and Mary Qian is definitely not African American.

But it's a great portrait painting -- the greatest I can recall ever seeing at the Palette and Chisel - or any of the  dozens of contemporary galleries that have come and gone over the past ten years.

It's not  sentimental -- it's not political -- it's  just  passionate and real.

It makes everything else in this show feel just a bit frivolous

Clayton Beck III

I caught a glimpse of this model -- in full Napoleonic gear -- as he was leaving the building on his way to Waterloo.

It's quite an exciting quick study.

Steve Puttrich

Clayton Beck III

Just when I thought I had seen enough portraits of the academy's most beloved Belorussian,  here's one of the best yet -- with an apparent nod to the sunny paintings of  Nicholas Fechin.

Larry Paulsen

Lenin DelSol

Another femme fatale from the world of film noir.

Like many others at the Palette (including myself)  Lenin is enthusiastic
about a genre that has been out of date for decades, if not centuries.

What's especially remarkable, however, is that he is so prolific - as well as being so good at it.

Clayton Beck III

Helen Oh

Andy Conklin (self portrait)

Apparently Andy would rather be sailing.

Stuart Fullerton

Stuart's angularity and restraint is such a pleasant contrast to most of the portraits that show in our gallery.