Ann Gale: Portraits

Exhibition

Ann Gale: Portraits

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Curated By
Curated by Rebecca Schoenthal, Curator of Exhibitions
We are pleased to present works by American figurative painter Ann Gale, Chair and Professor of Painting and Drawing, at the University of Washington. Largely composed of oil paintings, with a few preparatory sketches, this exhibition features portraits, painted from models in the studio, that reveal the often unseen interconnectedness between sitter, room, atmosphere and artist. Gale somehow captures, using short, layered brushstrokes and a wide-ranging if somber palette, both the physical and intangible elements that are present and evolve over the course of a lengthy process and many sittings. “Throughout the process of the work, every alteration of color, distance or proportion, changes my point of view, re-measures our proximity and indicates a slightly different relationship. While there is a precision to the measuring, there is also an intimacy that is revealed through intense observation. The image exists as an intricate composite of observations, revealing the fragile and momentary nature of perception.” The portraits reflect the endurance of both model and artist, and convey a moody sense of this mutual, shared endeavor. Born in 1966, Ann Gale received her BFA from Rhode Island College in 1988 and her MFA from Yale University in 1991. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a Milliman Grant from the University of Washington in 2011, election into the National Academy of Art and Design, a John Simon Guggenhein Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Falk Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC; Hackett-Freeman Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, among others.