The Enemy of Average! Wild Surfwear- USA Made / Christian Franzen

Photos Jessie Stopnik

 

Ibrahim Calli was born in Denizli, Turkey in July of 1882. In his youth he showed a great deal of interest in drawing and painting during his grade school years. As he grew older his family urged him to pursue his desire to paint, and so Calli left for Istanbul in 1899 for further art education.

In Turkey, Calli had to work several jobs in order to sustain himself while he continued to paint. His spare time was filled with drawing lessons in the Great Bazaar from fellow artist Roben Efendi. 

By Christian Franzen

Adam Willaerts was a Flemish painter who was a figure in the Dutch Golden Age of Painting. He was born in London during the summer of 1577, because his parents had fled from religious persecution in their previous home of Antwerp. In 1585, his family returned to Holland and settled in the suburban area of Leiden. It was here that Willaerts began his education of the classical style of Flemish painting.

As years past Willaerts became a very accomplished etcher and painter, thereby earning him a spot in the top tear of the Dutch Golden Ages canon. He became one of the head members to the Guild of St. Luke in the town of Utrecht where he lived the later half of his life.

Willaerts paintings are very typical of the time and place in which he found himself. Most of his works depict the everyday landscapes of Hollands countryside and the people who inhabit it. However, Willaerts was known predominantly for his river scenes and his mastery of depicting lively water.

By Chrisatian Franzen

Jozef Israëls was born on the 27th of January 1824 in Groningen, Netherlands. Despite his fathers relentless push to be a businessman throughout his childhood, Israëls deep desire to be an artist prevailed and his family allowed him to pursue art as a career. He began his studies at the Minerva Academy in Groningen from 1835-1842 and later furthered his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. During his time at the Royal Academy he mastered his drawing skills under the tutelage of famed Dutch artist Jan Kruseman.

In 1845, he took a brief hiatus from his educational endeavors in order to serve as an assistant in Françios Picot's studio, located in Paris. After two years, Israëls no longer wished to be an assistant and moved back to Amsterdam where he settled into his own artistic practice. 

Israëls work is often compared to that of French painter Jean-François Millet because of their shared desire in visually sympathizing with the life of the laboring class. Although Israëls work is often thought to have a more somber tone compared to Millet's of admiration towards the laborer. 

After a move to Hague in 1870, Israëls and several other painters banded together in order to form the Hague School. The Hague School, often referred to the gray school because of their dull color usage, mimicked the ideals of the French Barbizon School. This new school existed in the artistic revival in the Netherlands, referred to as the Romantic period in Dutch Painting. The main focus of these paintings was the rural Dutch landscape and the lower class people that populated the mass landscape. Israëls continued to work in the Barbizonesque style of realism until his death in 1911.

 

Photos Jessie Stopnik

By Christian Franzen

Franco Mondini-Ruiz is a contemporary artist living between New York, New York and San Antonio, Texas. He is a multidimensional artist, but primarily works in sculpture and instillation. One of his most notable works is his "Infinito Botánica". For this installation piece, he bought a Botánica in San Antonio and transformed it into a ongoing installation while maintaining the store as a functioning Botánica. Mondini-Ruiz called it "part of a social and figurative sculpture that mixed traditional botánica fare with sculpture and installations, as well as with the contemporary work of local cutting-edge and outsider artists, locally made craft, folk art, cultural artifacts and junk". This project became so popular that he was asked to recreate it in several locations, including the Whitney Biennial in 2000 and the Kemper Art Museum, St Louis in 2001.

My personal favorite of Mondini-Ruiz's work is his series of piñatas. The piñatas were replica versions of famous modern artworks from various artists ranging from Piet Mondrian to Jeff Koons. This series of piñatas was shown across the United States under the title "Modern Piñatas".

Photos Jessie Stopnik

Photos Thomas Green

 

 



Photos Carson Hart

By Christian Franzen

Eric Bealer is a self-taught multi dimensional artist who is alive and practicing his art today. He spent roughly 13 years of his career showing and selling work in the area surrounding his home in central Pennsylvania. After that time, Bealer found himself wanting to live in a more secluded location. So in 1989, he and his wife packed their bags and settled in Haines, Alaska.

Before the big move, most of Bealer's work was executed in watercolor and metallic etchings. Alaska sparked an interest in Bealer to try wood engraving. He fell in love with this new process and began pumping out wood prints. Wood engraving is a very tedious process, but the end results are beyond beautiful.

Today, Eric Bealer lives on Chichagof Island in Alaska and continuous to express himself through his wood engravings

Photos Thomas Green

By Christian Franzen

Tom LaDuke is a current Los Angeles based artist. He career thus far has been very successful. You can find DaLuke's work in exhibitions across the United States, several museums, and in the possession of many notable collectors. The reference to film and motifs of contemporary society are plentiful throughout LaDuke's paintings. Using several overlapping techniques LaDuke creates a landscape where art history juxtaposes images of modern cinema. In addition, LaDuke is also a practicing sculpture. His 3D work touches more on the fragility of life and problems that we as humans face together.

I was lucky enough to hear LaDuke speak last spring on his life as a painter. I was blown away by his wok and the elegance with which he spoke of it. This semester I am very fortunate to work Professor LaDuke in my last year in art school. I am very excited for all of the knowledge that he will pass to me.