Robert Lange is a contemporary realist painter celebrated for his vivid, imaginative oil paintings that blur the line between illusion and reality. With startling photographic precision and a penchant for the surreal, Lange invites viewers to find magic in the everyday. His compositions often feature playful, unexpected details—25-foot bananas on modest canvases, miniature pandas in the palm of his hand, or entire rooms reflected within the curve of a spoon—each a product of both technical mastery and boundless curiosity.
“I consider my art to be a surreal visual journal of my life,” Lange explains. “I try to allow my imagination to commingle with reality, resulting in optimistic and often magical realistic paintings of musings, memories, and beliefs.”
After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Lange spent time in the fast-paced gallery worlds of Boston and New York. In 2004, he and his wife, fellow artist Megan Aline Lange, moved to Charleston, South Carolina. “We were in our early twenties and just naive enough with nothing to lose to open a small business,” he says. “Our friends helped paint walls and we crossed our fingers we would sell a painting to pay rent. That was 20 years ago.”
From those early days grew Robert Lange Studios, a vibrant and ever-evolving gallery nestled in the heart of historic Charleston. The space reflects Lange’s dual commitment: to develop his own artistic voice while also nurturing a community of emerging creatives. “Charleston is an incubator for the creative spirit,” he says. “It’s all art, food, wine, and culture that drives this city.”
Lange’s work draws from a broad array of influences—mathematics, geometry, personal history—and often incorporates self-portraiture in surprising proportions. He builds series around singular motifs, exploring each from multiple perspectives until a subject’s poetic potential is fully exhausted. Whether capturing the shimmer of light off a reflective surface or the quiet connection between siblings, each painting is a celebration of observation and emotion.
“My favorite pieces I have made over the past decade have been those of my children,” he says. “They are filled with a father’s love and desire to see life through their beautiful idealistic lenses.”
Despite the shifting themes, Lange’s core mission remains consistent: to “paint optimism.” Every canvas contains a hidden plus sign, delicately painted with his tiniest brush. “As a painter, you decide what effect you want to have,” he notes. “I believe there is providence in sharing optimism through art.”
Beyond his painting, Lange credits much of his success to the partnership he shares with Megan. “She is my medicine in this world, and I cannot imagine any of my good fortune having taken place without her standing by my side.”
Today, Robert Lange’s work stands as a beacon of both technical excellence and emotional generosity. Through the lens of surreal realism, he invites viewers to experience not only what is—but what might be—when joy, imagination, and truth collide on the canvas.
