Larry Kessler
Painter
(561) 737-2218
Biography
I am an abstract and expressionistic painter and work mostly in oil on canvas. Presently, I am represented by a Chelsea, New York City gallery and have had many exhibitions in this and other areas. My work has been favorably reviewed in ARTnews magazine and other major art publications. Early art studies and workshops were at the Cooper Union and the Art Students League in New York City. I studied with Robert Gwathmey and Stephen Greene who also contributed to the style and versatility that I’ve developed.
Modern art is constantly in a state of a resolving nature. I personally witnessed the changes from the late 1940s, by observing the numerous galleries in and around the East 10th Street areas to 57th Street in New York City. I treasure an early publication of a booklet entitled “What is Modern Painting?” by Alfred H. Barr, Jr. published in the 1940s by MOMA of which I am a member. Although most of the reproductions are in black and white, I sense the power of Picasso, Van Gogh, Mondrian, and Braque to name a few. They have been a deep influence on my career as an artist. I too, have experimented in different media, rendering thousands of pen and ink, pencil drawings and thumbnail sketches for designing and visualizing finished works.
After years of painting, I have developed a unique style and direction that began in my early school years. At that time, I had a compulsion to draw cyphers with white chalk on a blackboard upon leaving the classroom. This was consistently repeated for many years. Subsequently, this evolved into my present approach to abstract paintings. I have worked diligently towards this new series concentrating on vibrant colors, composition, line and movement.