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Karl Stephan Studio
THREE Works @ MFA BOSTON - KArl Stephan, PAINTER
Karl Stephan Teaches DRAWING, PAINTING and other two-dimensional art-making at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
his RECENT paintings seek to capture the musicality of color.
here he shares three artworks from THE MFA's Collection, and explains why they are important to his teaching.
Karl Stephan in his studio, Spring 2021
"Memento Mori" Oil, oilstick & sgraffito on canvas 12" x 36" 2023
"Euretta RathbonE" Oil on Canvas, Max Beckmann, 1947 - This vigorously-painted portrait of the spouse of a former MFA Director lets students focus on completeness rather than "perfection." The lesson is aided by the mystery of the object in her left hand.
Power figure (nkisi nkondi), Sacred Sculpture, Artist Unidentified, Kongo, 19-20th C. - This object is central to a lesson about how artists express states of mind, and also a discussion of art from cultures which have been all but erased.
"Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist" Tempera on Panel, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1500 - This painting caps a popular lesson known to students as "Ugly Babies" in which we explore THE grotesque - and beautiful - Renaissance-era renderings of infants.
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