I love the Alumni Exhibition at UW-Whitewater’s Crossman Gallery and am very thankful to Michael Flannagan for inviting me to participate. The assortment of figurative artists was wonderful. I am fortunate and thankful for the opportunity. Images will be up soon with regard to the show, but in the meantime, here is my latest statement for the works that were represented. You can see some of the works in the various pages on this website (Self-Portrait, Julie, Full Fathom Five, Scott, 4 of the drawings…).
Frank Korb – Portraits
Today, we live in a high-paced world with new, exciting and ever changing approaches to art making — from Bill Viola’s video installations such as The Reflecting Pool, or Damian Hirst’s sculptures as in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, to artworks created for online interaction like Shu Lea Cheang’s Brandon. With all of the possible approaches to making art, I am still compelled by the tried and true approach of painting and drawing recognizable people.
Portraiture has changed dramatically from the romantic days of creating likenesses of wealthy families or patrons to the more modern idea of the many faces of popular celebrity, socialite or political figures. While the modern or contemporary portrait may, at times, be difficult for some to interpret, the fact that they represent people can help make it easier for individuals to relate to. In addition to my interest in representing the recognizable portrait of my sitters, I am also focused on expressing their personality and character. Juxtaposing organic and hard-edged geometric shapes, my portraits use realistic and natural color choices alongside not-so natural color choices to create unmistakable faces. Those faces belong to people with whom I have very specific and important relationships. I create portraits of my friends and family, people I enjoy surrounding myself with.
Frank Korb 