Michael Klein (b. 1980) is a bourgeoning artist in the Novo Realist movement creating melancholic paintings that have a distinct, contemplative quality. Klein grew up in the Midwest where he developed a special connection with nature and a desire to express himself accurately through his work. He began his academic training at just 19 with Richard Whitney and subsequently enrolled in Richard Lacks The Atelier in Minneapolis, MN. Still searching for further enrichment, he moved to New York City to study at The Art Students League of New York. He completed his formal studies as an apprentice to Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier. Kleins paintings have a brooding energy emanating from them, a silent, almost exotic, narrative; this quixotic stillness tak es his work from being just a nod to 19th century artists such as Whistler and elevates it to a contemporary contemplation of the past and present. The surfaces of his paintings reveal variations in paint density - from the thinly painted transparent darks to the richly textured built up lights, thus giving way to a lacquered quality, and the intentionally limited color palette creates a dramatic counterpoint. Thematically, many of Kleins pieces feel like mysterious vignettes, leaving his story unfinished and all the more fascinating.
Klein is represented by galleries in New York, California, and Massachusetts and has participated in several exhibitions throughout the United States. With the help of his wife, he developed American Painting Video Magazine in 2009. Klein currently lives and works in Bronx, NY and maintains a studio in his wifes hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina. A review of Kleins 2012 exhibition with Collins Galleries is featured in American Arts Quarterly Summer, 2012.
Cover image: Red, White and Pink Roses, Oil on linen, 8 x 13 7/8 inches
Bouquet, 2012
Click any photo to watch a You Tube video of Michael Painting Bouquet A video collaboration between Artists on Art magazine and Michael Klein
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Kleins Buenos Aires studio was built in 2006. The section to the right was specifically designed by Klein so that he might explore subjects en plein air in contrast to the somewhat limited and often dramatic light of the main studio. In order to recreate the luminous and subtle light of a slightly over cast day, Klein with the help of his father-in-law constructed the walls of concrete gray cinderblocks. The ceiling is made of an opaque fiberglass; earthen floors soften the light from below. Various scrims are often used to further diffuse the light if necessary. Arrangement on a Wooden Crate was painted in May of 2012 (in the southern hemisphere, autumn) in the outdoor workspace whereas Potted Plants and Plums was created in the main part of the studio.
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First Fruit (Peaches and Grapes), Oil on linen, 11.75 x 15.5 inches
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www.collinsgalleries.com info@collinsgalleries.com
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