While Doug Whitfield's crowded compositions are dreamlike and decidedly outside the realm of our experience, they are not peopled with the abstruse and private imagery which we often associate with Surrealist art. On the contrary, Whitfield's world is decidedly accessible, with the human figure as the defining center of the composition. His characters - dancers, circus actors, performing animals - come to us as players in a fantastic theatre. They gesture dramatically and strike theatrical poses on what often appears to be a stage. They are as cognizant of us as we are of them, and they present themselves for our pleasure.
But Whitfield's actors never upstage the creative intelligence which informs them. Through finely contrived contrasts and allusions, Whitfield keeps our focus on the act of definition. His figures mingle passages of intensely real description, usually in the faces and appendages, with casual sketches; they exist in a state of both being and becoming. At times, too, they tease us with references to their artistic lineage: putti, odalisques, saltimbanques.
They inhabit an ambiguous land between history, myth, and fantasy, where the only certain presence is that of the artist. This is a land both ageless and ravaged by time: a land where the exotic cohabits with the everyday, flat foreground planes cut to deep space perspective, and the beautiful and grotesque seem but two sides of the same coin. And if there is a point to these juxtapositions, other than the sheer marvel and delight which they inspire, it is the power of the human imagination to comprehend and reconcile them.
Whitfield studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1968. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Europe. He has won numerous awards and distinctions. His honors include commissions from the Guild of Film Actors and the US Congress. Many collectors, including former Texas governor Ann Richards, are proud to own Whitfield's work. Whitfield lives in Williamson, New York, with his wife, Franca.
But Whitfield's actors never upstage the creative intelligence which informs them. Through finely contrived contrasts and allusions, Whitfield keeps our focus on the act of definition. His figures mingle passages of intensely real description, usually in the faces and appendages, with casual sketches; they exist in a state of both being and becoming. At times, too, they tease us with references to their artistic lineage: putti, odalisques, saltimbanques.
They inhabit an ambiguous land between history, myth, and fantasy, where the only certain presence is that of the artist. This is a land both ageless and ravaged by time: a land where the exotic cohabits with the everyday, flat foreground planes cut to deep space perspective, and the beautiful and grotesque seem but two sides of the same coin. And if there is a point to these juxtapositions, other than the sheer marvel and delight which they inspire, it is the power of the human imagination to comprehend and reconcile them.
Whitfield studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1968. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Europe. He has won numerous awards and distinctions. His honors include commissions from the Guild of Film Actors and the US Congress. Many collectors, including former Texas governor Ann Richards, are proud to own Whitfield's work. Whitfield lives in Williamson, New York, with his wife, Franca.
source
American, b. 1945
Whitfield is a contemporary New York artist, whose paintings meet at least one criteria of surrealism, he represents objects without any order. Whitfield was influenced by Marc Chagall, not only through his floating images, but also with his symbolism that allows a viewer to interpret his art. Whitfield’s art is also influenced by his draftsmanship, which is a characteristic shared by Leonardo Da Vinci. His compositions are dreamlike, and outside the realm of human experience, they are decidedly accessible to viewers. The characters in Whitfield’s art never upstages the creative intelligence that informs them.
Whitfield is a contemporary New York artist, whose paintings meet at least one criteria of surrealism, he represents objects without any order. Whitfield was influenced by Marc Chagall, not only through his floating images, but also with his symbolism that allows a viewer to interpret his art. Whitfield’s art is also influenced by his draftsmanship, which is a characteristic shared by Leonardo Da Vinci. His compositions are dreamlike, and outside the realm of human experience, they are decidedly accessible to viewers. The characters in Whitfield’s art never upstages the creative intelligence that informs them.
source
I paint full time in my studio at Cedar Lake in upstate New York. Occasionally I practice my avocation which is teaching artists how creativity relates to physiological brain theory. I have been represented by fine galleries around the world since 1967.
My medium is oil paint on canvas. My subjects are people. My purpose is to arouse the viewers limbic: his passion. My canvasses are filled with a sense of love, humor, and titillating glances and touches between the subjects that belie a relationship (to be defined by the viewer.) ALL of my giclees are output, in very small editions, on an Epson 10600 printer, using archival inks on the the finest canvas in the fine art world. Each is hand signed and numbered with a final satin application coating to complete my composition.
My works are dreamlike. My characters are like players in a fantastic theater. They gesture dramatically and strike theatrical poses on their stage. They seem cognizant of the observer and present themselves for the viewer's pleasure. The life of my paintings is in the imagination of the viewer.
Doug Whitfield
My medium is oil paint on canvas. My subjects are people. My purpose is to arouse the viewers limbic: his passion. My canvasses are filled with a sense of love, humor, and titillating glances and touches between the subjects that belie a relationship (to be defined by the viewer.) ALL of my giclees are output, in very small editions, on an Epson 10600 printer, using archival inks on the the finest canvas in the fine art world. Each is hand signed and numbered with a final satin application coating to complete my composition.
My works are dreamlike. My characters are like players in a fantastic theater. They gesture dramatically and strike theatrical poses on their stage. They seem cognizant of the observer and present themselves for the viewer's pleasure. The life of my paintings is in the imagination of the viewer.
Doug Whitfield
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
© Doug Whitfield
Posts
