Danny Keith
10 Nov - 21 Dec 2012
DANNY KEITH
Black Feathers and Sequins
10 November – 21 December 2012
Wentrup is pleased to present Black Feathers and Sequins, a solo show by American painter Danny Keith, 9 November - 21 December, 2012.
“Continuing my exploration of the male portrait, the introduction of black provides a more dramatic backdrop for the figure and for how he is wardrobe. Sequins and feathers dance in the light but also engage discourse around costume, gender, identity, and globalization.” (Danny Keith)
The exhibit hosts several new oil paintings depicting formal portraits of bearded masculine figures balanced with feminine attributes. Staging the figures in the studio, Keith works with an obsession towards capturing every nuance of the model's seductive physicality and contemplative stare. By working with the same model over long periods of time, Keith's paintings reveal a strong sense of intimacy and desire between the artist and subject.
Throughout the tenure of his practice, Keith has developed an engagement with 19th century painting as a specific art historical strategy. In his recent work, Keith represents the solitary male figure, gazed upon and rendered in the artist's technically skillful manner. Keith's paintings subtly invite narratives of sociopolitical issues to the forefront of contemporary culture and figurative painting. Referencing artists such as Homer, Eakins and Sargent, Keith's extremely personal vision becomes part of a larger lineage of classic American portrait painting.
Danny Keith was born in Woodsville, New Hampshire and currently lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. Keith holds an M.F.A. in Painting from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, 2008 and a B.A. in Graphic Design, Notre Dame College, Manchester, NH, 1988.
Black Feathers and Sequins
10 November – 21 December 2012
Wentrup is pleased to present Black Feathers and Sequins, a solo show by American painter Danny Keith, 9 November - 21 December, 2012.
“Continuing my exploration of the male portrait, the introduction of black provides a more dramatic backdrop for the figure and for how he is wardrobe. Sequins and feathers dance in the light but also engage discourse around costume, gender, identity, and globalization.” (Danny Keith)
The exhibit hosts several new oil paintings depicting formal portraits of bearded masculine figures balanced with feminine attributes. Staging the figures in the studio, Keith works with an obsession towards capturing every nuance of the model's seductive physicality and contemplative stare. By working with the same model over long periods of time, Keith's paintings reveal a strong sense of intimacy and desire between the artist and subject.
Throughout the tenure of his practice, Keith has developed an engagement with 19th century painting as a specific art historical strategy. In his recent work, Keith represents the solitary male figure, gazed upon and rendered in the artist's technically skillful manner. Keith's paintings subtly invite narratives of sociopolitical issues to the forefront of contemporary culture and figurative painting. Referencing artists such as Homer, Eakins and Sargent, Keith's extremely personal vision becomes part of a larger lineage of classic American portrait painting.
Danny Keith was born in Woodsville, New Hampshire and currently lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. Keith holds an M.F.A. in Painting from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, 2008 and a B.A. in Graphic Design, Notre Dame College, Manchester, NH, 1988.