The post-70s painter presented the artistic charm of what realist painting is with his strength

Text/Dr. Michael Zakian (Frederick Weissman Museum of Art)

Born in 1975, Jeremy Lipkin has become one of America's premier realist artists. His talent rivaled that of late 19th-century realist painters such as John Singh Sargent, Joaquin Solora, and Anders Zorn, and was outstanding for painters of any age. Like these great painters of the past, Jeremy was a master of art. His canvas conveys the magical aura of convincing images that emerge from the field of painting.

For much of the 20th century, realism was misunderstood as an imitation of art. In fact, when a painter like Jeremy Lipkin practiced, realist painting was a powerful kind of creativity. Many viewers were drawn to his art, believing it to look like a photograph. In fact, Jeremy's vision is the opposite of what the camera does.

Photographs tend to flatten the image, reducing all relationships between color and shadow to stiff mechanical patterns. Jeremy's skill lies in his ability to explore in and around his subjects. With highly sensitive eyes, he saw subtle differences in values and tones that the camera and most people would never see. Even more incredible, he was able to transform his highly nuanced vision into pictorial images. Jeremy's real theme is the fluidity of his paintings. Seeing one of his paintings means entering the world of painting he has created. Like all great realists, he had the ability to create powerful works.

I have had the pleasure of viewing Jeremy's paintings many times. The experience is both exhilarating and confusing. Jeremy started his paintings in a surprisingly loose, painterly way — something I never expected. He made preliminary markings to find the scale and proportion of his subject. He then applies a wide range of color undertones to capture the desired hue and value. At this stage, his paintings look almost abstract, consisting of patterns of large color shapes.

Jeremy's characteristic brushstrokes or gestures, which I like to call "open touches." What I mean by this is that Jeremy applies paint on a wide, loose face, usually leaving a bare canvas area between the two. In subsequent additions, the open area is gradually filled, forming a respiring lattice-like paint structure. Curiously, this approach is a bit like Cézanne's way. But Cézanne emphasized the discontinuities of his brushstrokes, while Lipkin worked with values close to them, so the result was a seamless veil of color.

The magic happens at the end. As he progressed, he gradually refined each area, adjusted color relationships and added dexterous touches to define the elements of choice. He took some forms to a razor-like level of completion. Other paragraphs are vague and undefined. In this sharp and loose interaction, the painting truly opens and breathes. That's what makes his art look so lifelike. His canvas is not a still image, but pulsates with the subtle energy of living things.

Source: Sheng Xinyu Art

EDIT: Pony