Reception
for the Artist: Saturday, March 4, 6:00-8:00 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10:00am -5:30pm, Saturday: 11:00am
-5:30pm
An exhibition of drawings by Los Angeles artist Ira Korman will
be on view at the Koplin Gallery from March 4 through April
15, 2000.
Since his first exhibition with the Koplin Gallery in 1993,
Korman has produced charcoal drawings of extraordinary
beauty, expression and virtuosity. His portraits, figures and
urban landscapes reveal the beauty, power and rhythms of his
surroundings. In his recent work, solitary figures in sparse
interiors and thinly populated urban scenes possess a sense
of reflection and solitude. With an expressive intensity and
attention to detail, Korman's work reveals an intuitive
vision that seems to capture the essence of his subject.
His Self-Portrait with Locomotive (1999) fuses the world
of the personal with the urbanized environment. This almost
photorealistic drawing contrasts the lightness of the artist's
face with the rigid form and texture of the machine, becoming
a statement on man's co-existence with technology.
When asked about his choice of subjects, Korman explained:
"The things I draw are the entirety of my physical world
- the landscape and the people who occupy it - although I often
feel that my real subject is light itself." His classically-inspired
work reveals a fundamental concern with the basic elements of
picture making: composition, form and light. Occasional references
to masters such as Ingres and Durer show a deep reverence for
their work. Other inspirations include Vermeer, Caravaggio,
Rembrandt and Hopper.
Ira Korman was born in New York and now lives and works
in Los Angeles. His formal training includes a B.F.A. from the
Rhode Island School of Design and an apprenticeship with painter/sculptor
Bernar Venet. Korman's work has been shown in solo and
group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Providence, Munich
and Innsbruck. The Arkansas Art Center, home to one of the leading
permanent collections of drawings in the United States, recently
acquired his work. This will be his fourth solo exhibition with
the Koplin Gallery.
