PRESS: BEHIND THEIR PAINTINGS

Robert Lange Paints Painters
Robert Lange Studios Hosts  “Behind their Paintings”
October 6 – October 31, 2006

CHARLESTON, S.C. – September 2, 2006 – Robert Lange has spent the last three months of his career engaged in the chase to capture the perfect painters portrait. In a series of ten paintings, Lange has portrayed his admired colleges, consisting of local artists, in an identification style.  The artists, who include Max Miller, Karen Olah, and Gary Grier, represent a generation of emerging painters who have invigorated the Charleston art scene.  On October 6, 2006 the show, “Behind their Paintings,” will be unveiled at Robert Lange Studios.

Lange’s Behind Their Paintings series, partially inspired by the photographs of German artist Thomas Ruff, is composed of straightforward portraits with black backgrounds that force the viewer to look into the artist’s eyes. Each portrait is accompanied by a smaller trompe l’oeil painting of that artist’s brush.
 
“So often when you think of an artist, an image of their work pops into your mind,” says gallery director Megan Lange.  “I love the idea that the series forces you to acknowledge the face of each creator.”
 
The personalities Lange captures are all different, naturally, but the paintings have at least one trait in common; shinning through each is a sense of understanding shared between artist and subject matter.  All of the artists are at a crucial point in their careers, as is Lange, and they stand confidently staring back at the viewer.

In describing this body of work, Lange states, “I wish I could have painted every artist in this generation. They represent something I see in myself, unlike the veteran artists who have already made this journey, the rest of us are just trying to figure out what we want to paint.”

The complete list of Lange’s subjects are: Karen Olah from Corrigan Gallery LLC, Max Miller from Ann Long Fine Art, John Duckworth and J.B. Boyd from Robert Lange Studios, Kevin LePrince and Gary Grier from The Wells Gallery, Jennifer Spencer from The Martin Gallery, Shannon Smith and Jennifer Smith Rogers from Smith Killian, and a self-portrait of Lange himself. This will be Lange’s first self-portrait to hang in the gallery.

A casual wine-and-cheese reception, open to the public, will be held on Friday, October 6, 2006 from 6-9 p.m. at Robert Lange Studios, 151 East Bay Street, downtown Charleston.  The show will hang in its entirety until mid-October and then it will move to RLS Upstairs.