Gus Heinze
Encyclopedia
Gus Heinze is an American photorealist
painter
.
, Howard Trafton, and Robert Ward Johnson at the School of Visual Arts
and the Art Students League
in New York
.
During the 1950s and 1960s he worked as a freelance commercial art
ist on Madison Avenue. In 1970 he began his career as a photorealist painter in Bondville, Vermont; many of his paintings from this period depict parts of automobiles and motorcycle
s in close-up.
, and began exploring more diverse subjects. He increasingly moved toward storefront-window and city scenes, in a style that he calls "abstract realism,"
where the subject is real but the point of view and composition give the painting an abstract quality — resulting in a kind of reverse trompe l'oeil
. As his works can appear half-real, half-abstract, it is not surprising that the artist himself describes abstract realism as "a total oxymoron."
In addition to his urban subjects, Heinze has also painted dilapidated farm equipment such as tractors and water pumps, and old trains and locomotive engines; in Exactitude: Hyperrealist Art Today, John Russell Taylor writes that "Heinze is fascinated by decaying machinery left behind as the detritus of the Industrial Revolution
. The forms are powerful, if inscrutable." He has also done series of paintings depicting rocky cliffsides, vineyard grapes, and streams; much of his subject matter is characterized by complex reflections off glass or water, intricate foliage, and deep background blacks with saturated colors in the foreground. In Photorealism at the Millennium, Louis K. Meisel
writes that Heinze "has not settled into any particular subject matter or point of view. This makes his work less distinctive and recognizable than that of other photorealists, but it also provides him with an added degree of freedom."
Heinze's paintings have been featured in the books The Martini and The Cigar, both by Barnaby Conrad III
.
In 1999 he began collaborating with Magnolia Editions
to produce lithographic reproductions.
Photorealism
Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using the camera and photographs to gather information and then from this information creating a painting that appears photographic...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Early work
From 1947-1950, Heinze studied under Robert WeaverRobert Weaver (illustrator)
Robert Weaver was an American illustrator who was considered the pioneer of a contemporary approach to the field that began in the 1950s. Beginning in 1952, he embarked on a mission to combine the visual ideas found in fine art with the responsibility of journalist...
, Howard Trafton, and Robert Ward Johnson at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
and the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
During the 1950s and 1960s he worked as a freelance commercial art
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
ist on Madison Avenue. In 1970 he began his career as a photorealist painter in Bondville, Vermont; many of his paintings from this period depict parts of automobiles and motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s in close-up.
"Abstract realism"
In 1978 Heinze relocated to Marin County, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and began exploring more diverse subjects. He increasingly moved toward storefront-window and city scenes, in a style that he calls "abstract realism,"
where the subject is real but the point of view and composition give the painting an abstract quality — resulting in a kind of reverse trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
. As his works can appear half-real, half-abstract, it is not surprising that the artist himself describes abstract realism as "a total oxymoron."
In addition to his urban subjects, Heinze has also painted dilapidated farm equipment such as tractors and water pumps, and old trains and locomotive engines; in Exactitude: Hyperrealist Art Today, John Russell Taylor writes that "Heinze is fascinated by decaying machinery left behind as the detritus of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The forms are powerful, if inscrutable." He has also done series of paintings depicting rocky cliffsides, vineyard grapes, and streams; much of his subject matter is characterized by complex reflections off glass or water, intricate foliage, and deep background blacks with saturated colors in the foreground. In Photorealism at the Millennium, Louis K. Meisel
Louis K. Meisel
Louis K. Meisel is an American published author and the founder and proponent of the photorealist art movement, coining the term in 1969. He is also the owner of one of the earliest art galleries located in SoHo at 141 Prince Street...
writes that Heinze "has not settled into any particular subject matter or point of view. This makes his work less distinctive and recognizable than that of other photorealists, but it also provides him with an added degree of freedom."
Heinze's paintings have been featured in the books The Martini and The Cigar, both by Barnaby Conrad III
Barnaby Conrad III
Barnaby Conrad III is an American author, artist, and editor.- Biography :Conrad was born in San Francisco in 1952, the son of author Barnaby Conrad, Jr and architect Dale Crichton...
.
In 1999 he began collaborating with Magnolia Editions
Magnolia Editions
Magnolia Editions is a fine art studio in Oakland, California. Founded in 1981, Magnolia Editions publishes fine art projects, including unique and editioned works on paper, artist books, and public art...
to produce lithographic reproductions.
Solo exhibitions since 1995
- 2011 — Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2009 — Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2006 — Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2004 — David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan
- 2004 — Plus One Gallery, London, UK
- 2004 — Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2003 — Modernism, San Francisco
- 2002 — Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 1999 — Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California
- 1998 — Modernism, San Francisco
- 1997 — Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California
- 1996 — Modernism, San Francisco
- 1995 — Galerie Redman, Berlin, Germany
Group exhibitions since 2005
- 2010 — "Expansion," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2008 — "Contemporary American Realism: 2008 Biennial," Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana
- 2008 — "Unforseen Reflections," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2008 — "SPF 20 — Shades of Summer," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2007 — "Culinary Arts," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2007 — "Structure," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2006 — "Summer Suite," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2005-6 — "Majestic Tapestries of Magnolia Editions," Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, California
- 2005 — "Contemporary American Realism VIII," MA Doran Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- 2005 — "Personal Places," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2005 — "Winter in Blue," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2005 — "Industrial Landscapes in Contemporary Painting," Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York
- 2005 — "21st Century Realism," General Electric Company Corporate Art Program, Fairfield, Connecticut
Selected public collections
- Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Los Angeles
- Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco
- Chase Manhattan Bank, New York
- Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Oakland, California
- Dean Witter Reynolds, San Francisco
- GTE Corporation, Thousand Oaks, California
- Hughes Aircraft Corporation, Los Angeles
- Kaiser Permanente, Fontana, California
- Transamerica Corporation, Los Angeles