82nd Annual Spring Show

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Stephen Assael Juror

An acclaimed realist whose works are alternately described as Romantic, magic, and visionary, Steven Assael explores the human figure in all its mystery and variety. His paintings are an unsettling combination of the old and the new—distinguished by old-masterly draftsmanship and Romantic lighting and compositions, but depicting contemporary people. His subjects range from studio models to subway riders to the tattooed and pierced denizens of the New York club scene.

Mr. Assael was born in 1957 in New York City. He studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and currently teaches at The School of Visual Arts in New York, as well as the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art. He has had solo shows at numerous museums and galleries, including a retrospective at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington, and he has also shown at the New York Academy of Art in New York, The Arnot Art Museum, and The Arkansas Arts Center.

Mr. Assael’s work has been reviewed in Art News and Art in America, and was featured in a segment on the CBS Sunday Morning television show. A book of his drawings, Steven Assael Selected Drawings (Linden Hill Art Books) was published in 2001. His artworks are in numerous permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Missouri, Walt Disney Corp, and Celestial Seasonings. He is represented by the Forum Gallery in New York.

Spring Show 2005
321 Artists submitting a total of 678 pieces.
85 works by 69 artists were accepted.

Juror's Statement

After a whirlwind week that included student critiques, a three-hour drawing demo, a slide lecture, and jurying 678 artworks, Steven Assael was interviewed by phone at his home in Queens about his impressions of the jurying process.

“There was a huge range in style and sophistication. They ranged from the weekend hobbyist with little or no training to the sophisticated professional artist demonstrating a high level of conceptual development and craft.” Assael did not discern any “regionalist” trends, commenting that the works are similar to ones he would find at various venues in New York City.

Regarding the criteria for quality, he emphasized that he sought works that were diverse, but did not let diversity alone guide him. “I deliberately chose some works that were naive but exhibited interesting and mature intent. Other works were more sophisticated and conceptual. Yet others functioned on a level of craft.” He looked for “a unified vision or unified development of intent, and a level of consistency of intent in each work.”

Steven Assael is known for his figurative works that demonstrate Old Master-like draftsmanship, but he brought a broad view of art to the jurying process: “When I first started my artistic career in the 70s and early 80s, there was a real bias against figurative paintings, especially narrative ones. I never held onto those biases, or any others; instead, I think there should be an understanding of a variety of forms”.

As for advice on what those submitting could do better next time, Assael noted that some entries were strong on some levels, yet had haphazard or poorly crafted presentations. “It would be better to submit unframed works [Ed.: not an option for this show] than works in frames that are poorly crafted or inappropriate to the piece.” He said simpler framing that draws attention to the piece, rather than distracting from it, is important. During jurying, he often puzzled over titles that were either overly elaborate, or seemed to have nothing to do with the piece. “Keep titles simple and honest”.