Twenty-five drawings of the human figure by Midwestern artist Robert L. Schultz are featured in an exhibition in the master's house of Jonathan Edwards College (JE).
The finely detailed and realistic drawings, done in graphite pencil on paper, show the human form in various poses, unclothed, semi-clothed and fully dressed.
Many of the works on view in the exhibition, titled "Robert L. Schultz: Drawings of the Figure," are from the private collection of JE master Gary L. Haller, who describes the artist in the exhibition catalog as one of his personal favorites.
"I like Robert's concentration on figurative realism, but there are three elements of his work that hold my attention," writes Haller. "First there is the focus on the human figure, but I really like his obsessive attention to drapery where a single thread can be seen and made an important part of the composition. And, finally, I appreciate the excessive detail of the background found in a floor pattern or a wall or in the wood grain of an item of furniture that are also hallmarks of many of Robert's drawings. While these never give way to light, the human form usually does and often appears burned away by the intensity of the light on the body."
The exhibition opened Jan. 17 following a master's tea with the artist, and will run through March 17.
Schultz was born in Iowa into what he describes as a "physical family" -- his grandfather was a famous acrobat and his father was a champion college gymnast. He began drawing in childhood, first focusing on superheroes and later copying pictures from anatomy books. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with artist John Wilde. He now works out of a studio in Madison.
Schultz' work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including several at Chicago's Printworks Gallery and at the Chicago International Art Exhibition, the National Academy of Design in New York, the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, the Art Institute of Southern California and Beloit College, among others. His awards include the Jacob and Bessie Levy Prize of the Chicago Art Institute.
In addition to his drawing skill and his detailed human forms, Schultz has said that he wishes for viewers of his work to be drawn to the people he depicts, who are often captured in a pensive mood. He uses models for much of his work.
"The tension in my work is often sexual -- sexuality sometimes seems like it's all that we're about," he is quoted as saying in the exhibition catalog. "I like that play of sexuality, keeping people guessing and thinking about the artist, the model -- whatever."
"Robert L. Schultz: Drawings of the Figure" can be viewed most Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. in the JE master's house, 70 High St. The exhibition is also open by appointment by calling (203) 432-0356. The exhibition was made possible with support from the Robert C. Bates Jr. Fund.
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