Behind The Easel: The Unique Voices of 20 Contemporary Representational Painters

When I saw the Robert Jackson painting of the balloon animal, the very first thing on my mind was “Jeff Koons!” I guess whenever I see or hear of photorealistic painting I think of Koons, Close, and all the other 70’s and 80’s painters who did photorealistic work. This book consists of interviews with representational painters, mostly from the USA, and a photo of their studios, and most of them are surprisingly “normal” compared to the stereotype artist.

I’m writing this review on the heels of a similar book, titled Sanctuary: Britain’s Artists and Their Studios. Compared to the YBA movement, the American painters are actually conservative in their dress and behavior. Robert Jackson, whose original job was electrical engineer, looks like….an electrical engineer! He describes his routine as like that of any other worker; gets up early drinks coffee, comes home by 6pm. The YBA painters, on the other hand, have bizarre lives, sometimes involving drug use. But the artists interviewed for Behind The Easel, they’re all doing figurative painting, and that requires extreme discipline. Unlike Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst, the representational painter has to put in careful planning, and attention to detail is not negotiable. You also end up with a messy studio!

Relatively few of these artists have studios in New York, and come to think of it, I’m not sure how many artists still do. Most of them live in small towns where the living cost is cheaper, and as far as their subject matter goes, I’m not sure they’d be as productive in a city. Take Scott Prior’s work, for instance; most of his paintings are of people in gardens or on porches, and these are not urban scenes. One of the pieces which I thought stood out the most was Abandoned Amusement Park. It captures the gaudy candy-colored stalls that circuses are famous for, contrasting the weed-sprouting pavement of abandoned property.

There is one thing missing from the interviews, and that is the location. I would like to know a little more about how their community influences their work and habits, and their relationship with the locals. Are they the only artists in the area? Do they prefer to paint scenes on their block? Do they get any ideas from the surrounding homes and topography? We know that Monet was influenced by what he saw in his hometown, and De Chirico’s paintings are all about the ennui of his native Italy. Is there anything about Robert Jackson’s neighborhood that influenced his painting Target the Artist?

I wonder if Scott Prior will revisit the abandoned amusement park? It would be an experience to see his the paintings develop over time as the property decays.