Collector's Focus: Portrait Art

Modernizing Traditions

Great Britain and Ireland lost over 750,000 soldiers in World War I. The futurist H.G. Wells wrote an article in 1914 titled “The War That Will End War,” a phrase that is now considered paradoxical. When I first went to England, the sculptures on World War I memorials struck me. The figures seemed to represent real people. And, they were young. About 250,000 of Britain’s soldiers in the war were under 18. George V was king, having succeeded his father, Edward VII, in 1910. Edward’s reign was known as the Edwardian Era, familiar to everyone who watched Downtown Abbey. 33 Contemporary Gallery, Out of the Darkness, oil on panel, 48 x 36", by O’Neil Scott.

Gallery Victor Armendariz, Portrait of Ben, oil on canvas, 24 x 18", by Peter Lupkin.

One hundred years after the fact, this country will soon have a National WWI Memorial with an extraordinary bronze relief by Sabin Howard, composed of 38 figures, each readable as an individual with a personal story within the overall depiction of A Soldier’s Journey.

The idealism of the prewar period didn’t die in the war or in succeeding wars and even some of the high fashion and style crops up from time to time. Edwardian period beards are familiar from period portraits by John Singer Sargent and in almost any town in America today.

Ben Lupkin works in his family’s stained-glass studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He sports an Edwardian beard and moustache in a profile portrait captured by his brother, painter Peter Lupkin. Profile portraits can be found on ancient coins and were popular on medallions and in paintings of the Italian Quattrocento (1400-1499).

Ben can be distinguished from his Edwardian peers by his 21st-century baseball cap and pocket tee. He gazes at a higher light, inspired perhaps as his father was when he saw a stained-glass window of St. George and the Dragon, which later inspired him to become an artist.33 Contemporary Gallery, Wisdom, oil on linen canvas, 54 x 36", by Manu Saluja.

Peter paints exuberantly yet captures a private, contemplative moment in his brother’s life. He describes his symbolism as traditional, learned in a period of apprenticeship in the stained-glass studio. He says, “Ultimately my goal is to use modern imagery in conjunction with traditional techniques and connect them with contemporary society, showing both the narrative’s and the method’s continued relevance.”

Amy Kann was commissioned to create a bas-relief of her clients’ son. “I called it Bloom,” she says, “because it felt like a boy just blooming into manhood. The boy had a Peter Pan (almost growing into a man) quality to him, so Bloom felt just right.” Bloom is cast in Forton, which retains the marks of her sculpting yet resembles the smooth surfaces of cameos and traditional casts in plaster.

Kann’s model is, indeed, in the bloom of youth and has a similar gaze to that of Ben, aware of the tangible and intangible world around him. He has a gaze of innocence distinct from naiveté, a wisdom he was born with and hasn’t yet lost. Kann says, “In the art that I view and in the art that I make, I value a clear and honest voice, I value beauty. When I am working well, I have the feeling of quiet clarity—a stillness that allows the work to flow through me. This stillness feels magical to me. Everything external falls away and what is left is my connection to the clay. I hope to convey that stillness in both my bas-relief work and in my torso work.”Clockwise from top left: Amy Kann, Bloom, forton, 9 x 9"; Lotton Gallery, Butterfly Lady, oil on canvas, 16 x 16"; James Crowley, Perkins Meets the Pope, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"; Lotton Gallery, The Heart, oil on canvas, 20 x 16", by Francesca Strino; 33 Contemporary Gallery, Endalyn Taylor, oil on linen, 60 x 50", by Patrick Earl Hammie.

In the pages of this special section are portraits that build on the classic traditions. They highlight an array of styles and techniques, and the artwork shows how portraiture has evolved for the modern era.

At 33 Contemporary Gallery in Chicago, collectors will find an array of contemporary portraits by some of today’s emerging, midcareer and master artists including Patrick Earl Hammie, Manu Saluja, O’Neil Scott, Vakseen, Shawn Michael Warren and Madelyn Sneed-Grays.

From Hammie are works from his Counterpoint Project, a co-creation with dancer and choreographer Endalyn Taylor that reframes the cultural and critical contributions of Black ballerinas. Among them is a work of Taylor against a vibrant purple background.

Saluja’s painting Wisdom, depicts a woman named Wisdom who modeled for art classes the artist was teaching. “After Aretha Franklin passed away in 2018, ‘Respect’ signs were installed at the Franklin Street subway station in New York City as an homage to the singer and her rendition of the 1960s song, which was a bold feminist statement in its day within the backdrop of the civil rights movement,” says Saluja. “I felt inspired to create a portrait of a strong woman of color within a setting that tilts its hat not only to her dreams and past strides made for equality, but also reminds us there is so much more work to be done.”Clockwise from top left: Linda Leslie, In Place, oil on canvas, 60 x 30"; Linda Leslie, A Lovely Time, oil on canvas, 36 x 24"; 33 Contemporary Gallery, Carter, graphite/charcoal on paper, 30 x 24", by Shawn Michael Warren; Linda Leslie, Why Should He Think Me Cruel, oil on copper, 30 x 20"

Among Sneed-Grays’ paintings is Still A Negro. Describing the work, she says, “Being Black in America, or really anywhere in the world, can be a challenge emotionally and mentally. To better fit into the bulk of society and its norms, there is a constant assimilation to white culture, whether that be to dress, talk or behave a certain way just to be accepted amongst the majority. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Blacks try to be accepted and assimilate to augment the comfort of the majority, which has been engraved in the livelihoods of Blacks for hundreds of years, and/or try to seem less of a threat to the eyes of some who deem so, the melanin that was genetically encoded will be a threat to some. No matter how much a Black person assimilates their livelihood to white culture, the skin pigment given from birth, mark all Blacks as a target for some who believe it to be a terrorist trait.”

Of his painting Out of the Darkness, Scott says, “2020 has brought about a time of unprecedented darkness. This painting points to hope and sheds light on the beauty coming out of that darkness.”Rhoda Draws, Betsy, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30"

33 Contemporary Gallery, Still A Negro, oil on canvas, 48 x 36", by Madelyn Sneed-Grays

Carter is just one of Warren’s pieces available at the gallery. He says, “An artist that serves as a primary source of inspiration, when it comes to creating portraits and narrative works of art, is the work of the late Charles White. Growing up, it was rare to see Black artists in museums, and when I was first introduced to his work, it was as if I found my calling and I knew what I wanted to depict in my own work. His work, much like my own, portrays the humanity, beauty, struggle, experiences, culture and history of African Americans and the African diaspora.”

Vakseen’s work New Growth is available at the gallery. The artist explains, “New growth is fragile. The transition a Black woman’s hair takes is fragile. While in its infant phase, new growth is expected to pull its weight during its growth with the rest of the natural hair. A common theme amongst our Black women, playing catch up in a system not built for them. I believe there’s beauty in every texture so I wanted to celebrate our values of beauty, as well as Black feminism in my painting. New Growth is a celebration of the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women.”

Another Chicago-based art dealer is Lotton Gallery, which features the work of Francesca Strino of Naples, Italy. As the gallery explains, “Francesca Strino, daughter of Gianni Strino, is an established artist on her own merit. Her two newest pieces Butterfly Lady and The Heart are portraits done of her sister and friend. Strino often features her sisters, Eleanora and Serena, in many of her paintings as models. The love she has for her sisters is evident in her portraits.”Nils P. Johnson, Love!, oil on canvas, 16 x 12"

33 Contemporary Gallery, New Growth, acrylic on wood, 24 x 24", by Vakseen

Anton Uhl has been a professional artist for the past 51 years. A former set designer for opera, TV and movies, his works include commissions in glass, bronze, paintings and murals in the collections of celebrities around the world. “I have always loved the magic of art and its power to move and inspire, to give us vision and help us transcend the mundane bonds of the day to day,” he says.

His painting Best Friends is a colorful portrait with a unique concept. “This is actually an image of man at age 6 and at age 66,” says Uhl of the painting. “The idea behind this is about keeping our sense of curiosity and joy alive as we grow older.

Dana Cook Lombardo’s passion for painting always starts with people. “Whether I am working on a commissioned portrait or a figurative piece, I am always striving to capture the feeling of the person and a sense of who they are,” says Lombardo. “Often, the clothes, pets, objects and the environment they are in are just as important as the face. I know when someone is looking to have a portrait completed, I have a responsibility to not only capture a likeness but everything that defines that person as well.”

Guinevere is a classical portrait painter. She is self-taught and a multiple award-winning artist, including being named Kansas City’s “Artist of the Year” in 2002. She is dedicated to capturing the beauty and elegance of grand classical portrait paintings, and is proud to be bringing back the beautiful fine art of classical portraiture. She offers portrait commissions to elite clients, and her works are highly contrasted, where the colors just melt into one another, creating a radiant glow.Guinevere, Kaysia, oil, 72 x 60"

Dana Cook Lombardo, A Peaceful Afternoon, oil, 30 x 24"

Anton Uhl, Best Friends, oil on panel, 24 x 24"

Portrait painter James Crowley does works by commission, such as Perkins Meets the Pope.

“A little girl wears a crown and wields a scepter. Does she imagine a retinue and castle as grand as those depicted in Vittore Carpaccio’s The meeting of the Pilgrims with the Pope? [I] thinks she does. The original was created by Carpaccio in Venice between 1497 and 1498 to illustrate the Legend of St. Ursula. The castle is Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome,” Crowley explains.

Linda Leslie, who represented by M Contemporary in New Orleans and Radius Gallery in Missoula, Montana, says, “I feel compelled to use my understanding of anatomy and application of paint to create a window on the quiet strength, resilience and beauty of women. And, of course, my love of costumes, jewelry and accessories gets to come out and play too. I enjoy inhabiting the world I create in my paintings.”

Nils P. Johnson’s painting Love! depicts his wife holding their new grandson. “With Love! I was trying to capture the tender warmth of the very young baby’s gaze into the eyes of his grandmother,” says Johnson. “I did not paint the face of my wife so the viewer’s attention is focused entirely on the child. Hands are notoriously hard to do, but I sought to emphasize both pairs here. At this age, the baby could not grasp anything, so his hands hang limply, emphasizing the child’s complete loving dependence on the lady supporting him with a sure grip.”Guinevere, Josephine, oil, 72 x 60"

Mark Hopkins, Mrs. Sandra Logiudice, oil on canvas, 48 x 30"

Rhoda Draws creates contemporary figurative paintings and commissioned portraits of adults in acrylic, oil, pastels and mixed media. Her style is expressive, with loose and rapid brushwork. Her background in illustration and gestural life drawing brings vibrant energy to her work. Her portraits and figurative paintings are bold and colorful. Her goal is not just to create a likeness of her subject but also to reveal a glimpse of the personality.

Mark Hopkins graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in fine art from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Since the 1980s, he has traveled the world creating original compositions and painting portraits. He currently resides in Rhinebeck, New York.

“There is a magic to portraiture when a thin layer of liquid can capture a spirit in a moment of time,” says Hopkins. “Somehow thought is conveyed. Light shines in the eyes. I am amazed each time I see a face take form on the canvas. It’s a privilege to have the skill to conjure up a likeness with a brush. I work internationally.” —