ARTIST REVIEW: Hannah Spitz
Last week I took a trip to the Pacific Palisades Village Green to see some work by an amazingly gifted artist (and family friend), Hannah Spitz, whom I have known for many years. Having heard about her artistic prowess and having viewed her works on her website (which is now here), I was excited to see her works in person.
Hannah’s art is characterized by her use of color; Vivid, vibrant hues and ranges of color make her paintings absorbing and memorable. In addition, Hannah has a firm command of line and is an excellent draftsman, as evidenced by her portraits: she is able to recreate what she sees and bring the subjects of her works to life. At the Village Green, Hannah displayed a wide variety of works and subjects, from quick gesture drawings to nude pen and ink studies to paintings of her models filled with bright, unexpected colors, from which I could not stop admiring. The paintings “Shadow 2009”, a painting depicting an elderly nude woman, and “Portrait 2009”, which is a lively, multihued face and neck study of another female model, were particularly riveting to me for their skill with composition, draftsmanship and Hannah’s wonderful, wonderful use of colors. Hannah used not only many peachy pink tones to recreate the flesh, but reds, blues, purples, and greens for the shadows, the use of which endowed the subject with energy.
Another highlight among the nude studies was “Calm Before the Storm 2009”, a sketch of a man in charcoal and ink with water that used dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro, to great and powerful effect. Another favorite work of mine was Hannah’s self-portrait “Submerged 2009”, which was a collaged work (made with magazine paper, as Hannah notes on her website) filled with movement and color. Hannah’s painting “The Blues”, an appropriately named depiction of a teen which uses all sorts of hues of blue, was another standout for me due, again, to the many shades of blue used in the composition.
Finally, I was also enamored by Hannah’s photographs (which, sadly, are not on display on her website), which portrayed brightly colored city scenes, black and white nature stills, and an incredible photo called “Wet 2”, which is a whirl of melting water and reflecting, blurry color. Hannah Spitz is definitely an up-and-comer to take notice of, and I look forward to seeing her work in museums around the world.
Hannah’s art is characterized by her use of color; Vivid, vibrant hues and ranges of color make her paintings absorbing and memorable. In addition, Hannah has a firm command of line and is an excellent draftsman, as evidenced by her portraits: she is able to recreate what she sees and bring the subjects of her works to life. At the Village Green, Hannah displayed a wide variety of works and subjects, from quick gesture drawings to nude pen and ink studies to paintings of her models filled with bright, unexpected colors, from which I could not stop admiring. The paintings “Shadow 2009”, a painting depicting an elderly nude woman, and “Portrait 2009”, which is a lively, multihued face and neck study of another female model, were particularly riveting to me for their skill with composition, draftsmanship and Hannah’s wonderful, wonderful use of colors. Hannah used not only many peachy pink tones to recreate the flesh, but reds, blues, purples, and greens for the shadows, the use of which endowed the subject with energy.
Another highlight among the nude studies was “Calm Before the Storm 2009”, a sketch of a man in charcoal and ink with water that used dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro, to great and powerful effect. Another favorite work of mine was Hannah’s self-portrait “Submerged 2009”, which was a collaged work (made with magazine paper, as Hannah notes on her website) filled with movement and color. Hannah’s painting “The Blues”, an appropriately named depiction of a teen which uses all sorts of hues of blue, was another standout for me due, again, to the many shades of blue used in the composition.
Finally, I was also enamored by Hannah’s photographs (which, sadly, are not on display on her website), which portrayed brightly colored city scenes, black and white nature stills, and an incredible photo called “Wet 2”, which is a whirl of melting water and reflecting, blurry color. Hannah Spitz is definitely an up-and-comer to take notice of, and I look forward to seeing her work in museums around the world.
An impressive and insightful review of the work of an exciting young artist!
ReplyDeleteI am totally taken by your thorough review of the work of Hannah Spitz. I am always excited to learn about new artists. This blog gave me an incredible amount of insight about the Spitz's work. . .
ReplyDeleteI concur. Great review. You really took time to enjoy Hannah's work and to write about it so anyone who has not had the pleasure can see what they have missed. You made it come alive!
ReplyDeleteAmazing detail! Anyone who reads this and is interested in art will end up at Hannah's website and be able to personally experience her artwork. Great job!
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