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Steve Penley created portraits of all forty-four U.S. Presidents. In these paintings, Penley celebrates every portrait with thick, fresh brushstrokes of brilliant color, capturing each President's personality and legacy. His dynamic mix of bravado, style, and technique may sometimes border on abstraction, but Penley never loses respect for the likeness and character of each President from George Washington to Barack Obama.
In many cases, the presidential images look familiar, because Penley used famous historical portraits, sculptures, and photographs as guides. Penley likes to paint historical icons because he feels they are something we all have in common and their images are imprinted in the back of our minds. His "slap-dash" technique teaches us to see these very familiar subjects in a new way.
Born in 1964 into a family of pianists in Tennessee and reared in Georgia, Penley began drawing at an early age. Television, comic books, and illustrations were among his childhood influences. Even before he entered the art programs at the University of Georgia and the School of Visual Arts in New York, he was able to render objects with incredible realism. Penley created a style all his own and found a place in the art world by fusing his interest in graphic art and fine art. He also borrowed and modernized influences from many artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Larry Rivers. As seen in this exhibition, Penley's bold, colorful portraits of the Presidents are produced with certainty and freedom that energizes the environment and appeals to a wide spectrum of viewers.
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