The Next Generation of Realists
American Artist and FORBES Inc. invited 11 gifted young artists, most of them academically trained, to spend 10 days together in London painting, visiting museums, and exchanging ideas.

by M. Stephen Doherty
January, 2005

Over the past nine years, American Artist and FORBES Inc. have collaborated on several projects involving groups of artists working together and sharing ideas. Artists of different ages, levels of experience, regions of the country, and media focus came together at properties owned by FORBES for a week or 10 days, with almost all of their expenses covered by the two publishing companies. Those projects, which took place at the Trinchera Ranch in Colorado and the Château de Balleroy in France resulted in special issues of American Artist and exhibitions in the Forbes Galleries, in New York City. These presentations highlighted the different ways each artist responded to the same location.

In April 2004, 11 artists were invited to spend 10 days living and working in Old Battersea House, a 17th-century manor house near the River Thames in London leased by FORBES. Because of the setting, the group included artists who had studied at academically oriented art schools and ateliers or were inspired by the kinds of pictures and objects in the house, as well as by the museums they visited.

Younger artists were selected for this project for several reasons. First, the organizers wanted to focus on promising individuals who represented the next generation of realist artists. Second, the accommodations made it necessary for the artists to share rooms, and the location required the artists to walk or take public transportation to London museums and galleries. It was assumed that an older group might have found it difficult to adjust to those requirements.

Representatives of a New Generation
In selecting the artists for this project, the two sponsoring companies invited a congenial group of individuals who represented the best of a new generation of realists. These 11 artists were not the only individuals worthy of consideration, but the ones deemed most appropriate to represent their generation.

The selected artists are typical of young people interested in pursuing careers in fine arts. Many of them established a singular focus while in high school that directed them toward art schools, ateliers, and colleges offering strong art-education programs. For example, Eric J. Merrell studied at the University of the Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, both in Philadelphia, as well as the Art Center College of Design (ACCD), in Pasadena, California. Ernesto Nemesio also graduated from ACCD after studying illustration at several other schools; while Dan Thompson attended art schools on the East Coast, including the Corcoran School of Art, in Washington, DC, and the New York Academy of Art and the Water Street Atelier, both in New York City.

But typical of artists regularly featured in American Artist, a number of the project's other participants came to art after pursuing other fields of study. Patricia Watwood majored in drama at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, before redirecting her studies at the Academy of Realist Art, in Seattle, the New York Academy of Art, the Ecole Albert Defois, in France, and the Water Street Atelier, in New York. Kristine Diehl graduated with a degree in art history and German linguistics from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, before enrolling in The Atelier Studio Program in Fine Art, also in Minneapolis. Anthony Ackrill worked as a policeman and a graphic designer before traveling to Europe to study at the Florence Academy of Art and in the studio of Odd Nerdrum; and James J. Connolly served in the U.S. Army for eight years and was honorably discharged before enrolling in art schools in New York.

Whatever led these artists to the serious pursuit of painting, ultimately they all developed the skills and understanding necessary to use the human figure in original works of art, as well as the ability to respond to the objects and landscape around them. They committed themselves to years of serious effort in improving their ability to draw and paint, many using plaster casts and live models in the tradition of the 19th-century academies. They also sought mentors who could help them develop their talents. Nemesio, Wurmser, and Merrell took advantage of opportunities provided by the California Art Club to participate in plein air painting events, spend time in the studios of more senior artists, and meet collectors and dealers willing to support their efforts. Diehl enrolled in the Minneapolis atelier founded by Richard Lack and maintained by his protégés. Frank Wright, the distinguished artist and George Washington University professor, nurtured John Patrick Campbell's talent, as did the collector Christopher Forbes and gallery owner John Pence. Similar support and encouragement from collectors, dealers, and teachers have also made a difference in the careers of Paul S. Brown and Dean M. Larson.

A Difference in Attitude
Perhaps the strongest link between the 11 artists assembled in London and their peers throughout the United States is that they are not burdened by the rejection, neglect, and ridicule that seems to have hindered older generations of realist painters. As the men and women spent their days and evenings painting models, eating lavish meals, visiting museums and art schools, meeting notable guests, and participating in formal discussions, they were open to one another and to a wide variety of influences. For example, during one evening discussion each member of the group listed the three or four artists he or she most admired. That list included commercial illustrators, California Impressionists, 19th-century academics, contemporary masters, and a host of artists whose only obvious connection to one another was that they were all exceptional painters.

Even more significantly, artists such as Wurmser, Merrell, and Connolly feel it is important that their work capture a sense of the modern world while at the same time adhering to the traditions of realism. Instead of acting defensively against the forces of 20th-century modernism that crippled previous generations of painters, these young artists welcome any and all influences that help them project their own artistic voices. "I attended the Schuler School of Fine Arts, set up by artists who were forced out of the Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore," explains Larson. He goes on to say the tumultuous change left his teachers feeling bitter and resentful and for years they insisted that students at the Schuler School adhere to a realistic style of painting. "The children and grandchildren of those teachers now run the school and allow students to paint in all styles," Larson adds.

A Wide and Receptive Audience
One of the main reasons these artists are able to respond with openness and generosity toward one another and toward the viewers of their paintings is that there are more opportunities for them to develop their careers than there might have been 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Each of the artists who met in London is represented by at least one important gallery that has established a market for their drawings and paintings, and all have participated in group shows, such as the California Art Club's annual Gold Medal Exhibition, the Salon d'Art in Denver, the Masters of the American West annual in Los Angeles, the Arnot Art Museum's Re-Presenting Representation biennial exhibitions, and other important showcases of contemporary representational painting.

While all artists spend significant amounts of time alone in their studios, and some, like Anthony Ackrill, live in relatively isolated art communities, realist painters of today have a greater opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals on both a personal and a professional basis. The internet provides a convenient connection between artists and their supporters, and information is quickly disseminated through art books and magazines, exhibition catalogues, and gallery invitations. Most of the artists profiled in this article present their artwork, biographies, and news on personal websites or on sites maintained by their galleries; all of them read one or more art magazines that alert them to exhibitions, introduce them to other artists, profile their friends, and carry advertising from galleries showing the work of realist artists; and each of their studios is filled with art books on both contemporary and historical painters. That flood of information gives them a sense of being connected to a national movement.

"In comparing my experiences to those of earlier generations of realist artists, I think one of the most significant influences on my generation of painters is the internet," says Diehl. "A person just starting out with a vague notion that they like doing realistic art has a most powerful tool at his or her disposal to research the artists they might like, schools offering appropriate training to develop their skills, and mechanisms for finding an audience once they create their work. It certainly has played an important role in my career so far, even though I am just at the beginning of it.

"The ability to research current and past artists with speed and efficiency is one reason our group is so open to ideas and influences from a wide variety of sources," Diehl continues. "The internet also offers a means of locating the training that meets one's goals. Sites such as www.art renewal.org list ateliers and private art schools around the world that offer classical art training. That's important, since the schools are typically small and less publicized than large public institutions. My current students at The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Art include people from around the world who learned about the academic program on the internet."

All of the artists featured in this article have supportive relationships with other artists whom they have come to know through various art schools, organizations, and events that bring realist painters together. Thompson teaches at Studio 126 in New York City, along with five other young artists; Merrell teaches at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art; Nemesio, Wurmser, and Merrell participate in a number of plein air events; Larson and Campbell often connect with other artists in the San Francisco area affiliated with the same galleries; while Connolly and Watwood are frequently invited to the same exhibition openings and social gatherings.

While in London
On most mornings during the 10-day visit to London, the artists spent three hours drawing and painting a hired model. The exceptions were the day Christopher Forbes posed for the artists and the morning they visited the Prince's Drawing School in the Shoreditch section of London. During the afternoons, the artists were free to paint, tour museums, or visit artists' studios. The group spent one afternoon touring the home and studio of Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830–1896); and on another day they were invited to Julian Barrow's Tite Street studios, located in the same building that once housed the studios of John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, Augustus Johns, and other renowned artists. The American painter Nelson Shanks used one of Barrow's studios in the 1990s when he painted portraits of Diana, the Princess of Wales, and Margaret Thatcher.

While living in Old Battersea House, the artists were well cared for by the resident director, Patricia McCaldin, and her staff of chefs and housekeepers. The artists were fed three lavish meals a day, and they were introduced to distinguished friends and business associates of Christopher Forbes during luncheons and dinner parties, as well as at a cocktail party held in their honor. During their stay in London, guests were able to view drawings and paintings created by American artists.

In bidding farewell to Mr. Forbes and the staff of Old Battersea House, each of the artists expressed his or her gratitude for being invited to participate in such an extraordinarily rich and rewarding experience.

M. Stephen Doherty is the editor-in-chief of American Artist.