Allan Crite was an African- American painter renown for his work with the figure in an urban landscape. Allan Crite was born in the year 1910 in North Plainfield, New Jersey. When he was still a child the family relocated to Boston where Crite would go on to attend the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Although accepted by Yale, Crite attended Harvard.
Crite was one of few painters of color employed by the Federal Arts Project.
Crite painted in oils and was also a printmaker producing some striking woodcuts.
For most of his career Crite was based out of Boston, Massachusetts.
In this clip we view a short bio about artist Allan Crite:
Allan Crite passed away in 2010 at the age of 97 years of age.
Religion played a large role in his art, Crite was an Episcopalian.
Price range information: Crite made prints which start at around $4,000 up to originals in oils which could reach $50,000. Crite also painted with gouache and watercolors.
I enjoy his use of perspective. The artist was employed by the Navy for more than 3 decades as an engineer, he was a wonderful draftsman. Crite achieved his goal by trying to show the life of the African American through the figure.
Wheeler Williams was an American sculptor born in Chicago, Illinois in the year 1897. Williams worked with the figure in a modernist/ art deco style. Williams attended the Yale School of Art where he studied architecture. Williams went on to earn a masters degree from Harvard in architecture. In addition Williams studied at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts located in Paris, France.
Price range information: Works range from $5,000 to $60,000. These are for smaller cast works. No pricing available for public sized works.
Wheeler Williams was a member of the National Academy of Design.
The artist was a proud supporter of the Republican party and Williams completed public monuments of many public figures over his career.
Wheeler Williams passed away in 1972.
In this clip a large sculpture by the artist is talked about:
Victor Schrager is a wonderful American photographer born in Bethesda, Maryland in the year 1950. Schrager is renown for his work and imagery dealing with books and also for his work in the genre of making photographs of the still life an expressive fine art medium of choice. For the works with books he generally uses an old book with a very used hardcover.
For his collegiate education the artist attended Harvard.
When the Whitney Biennial held its first photography session the artist was included. (1981)
Started off working with color and over the years has made the switch to black and white and now has again focused on color. It depends on the subject matter the artist is working with.
Some well acclaimed series include a series done on birds.
Schrager is based out of New York City.
Winner of fellowships from the Guggenheim and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Has works included in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and San Francisco Museum of Art.
price range information : Most work between $1,000 and $4,000.
Schrager has been the photographer for books including this one titled “Melons for the Passionate Grower.” Still life photography is perfect for this book!
Jane Dickson is a contemporary artist born in Chicago, Illinois in the year 1952. Dickson is best known for two basic ideas themes found in her art. One idea is that of painting the night life of the Big Apple, New York city. Not only the night life, but in particular the seedy part of town including hookers and police on the beat. She also is known for painting on carpet, many times in fact she has painted on astroturf. It gives her work a surreal feeling and feeling of space.
For her collegiate studies Dickson attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also studied at the Boston Museum School of the Fine Arts.
In this clip we see the artist talking about a series she made concerning gambling.
In this clip we see Jane Dickson give a brief presentation at a college campus alongside her husband film director Charles Ahearn. Dickson’s part of the interview starts close to 3:10 into the clip. Ahearn has long worked with exploring culture such as the graffiti artists of New York such as Martin Wong to the hip hop scene. Ahearn was a chief producer in the movie Wild Style, this movie documented the hip hop scene of the 1970s and 1980s.
Jane Dickson artwork reminds me of the artist Susan Grossman. Grossman works in charcoal and pastels on paper and her works have a great sense of atmosphere and give the feeling of the movement of lights and darks thru the big city. Below is a great example of Susan Grossman’s style using charcoal and pastel on paper.
Not only does Dickson use carpet and astroturf she experimented with vinyl and sandpaper for her surfaces.
Dickson has artwork in many prestigious museums including the Chicago Institute of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of Art.
The artist has done a public commission mosaic work for the MTA station on 42nd street in New York city.
A link to Jane Dickson’s own website: http://janedickson.com/
Price range information: Etchings can be found from $500 to $1000. Works in oils range from $1,000 to $7,000.
I find Dickson’s work awesome for its use of carpet and other surfaces. In much the same manner of painting with oils on copper, painting on carpet brings a unique textural feel also. It seems perfecting for depicting night scenes where many edges are lost and dark shadows are found in many locations. Try painting your favorite city on a unique surface like carpet or turf!
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