Author: Jordan

Figurative artwork, or figurativism, implies representational artwork. It describes any form of art that includes references to real world objects, particularly to human and animal figures. The term “figurative art” is a relatively modern one, coined somewhat in response to the emergence of abstract art, which is synonymous with non-representational art. Michelangelo and Alberto Giacometti, for instance, are great examples of unique  figurative sculpture artists from the late 1400s and mid 1900s respectively.

In a general sense, the term “figurative” is retrospectively applied to all art before abstract art. It’s also distinct from modern realism in that figurative artists employ contemporary references. Modern realists also base their work on real world objects, but their styles predate the post-impressionism period, i.e. prior to around 1886.

In this blog, we’ll look at some figurative sculpture artists whose work is showcased here at Marcus Ashley Gallery.

Michael Parkes

Micheal Parkes is arguably the leading magical realism artist in the world at the moment. His sculptures (and his artwork in general) borrow heavily from figurativism, seamlessly blending these two styles. Interestingly enough, Parkes used to paint in the abstract expressionist style earlier in his artistic career. At a certain point, he gave up the practice of art all together and traveled to India in search of inspiration and philosophical illumination. Emerging from his hiatus, his style underwent a dramatic change, represented by the vast body of his work today.

Parkes uses various mediums, including canvas, paper, vellum, stone lithographs, and bronze sculptures. His figurative sculptures are truly stunning, and versatile in that they work in a variety of spaces. They blend mythical and modern elements in ways that surprise and delight. There’s usually an interesting backstory to go with them as well. 

Angel Affair, depicted here, was conceived while Parkes was stranded at Zurich airport in the middle of a snowstorm. His companions happened to be businessmen. While waiting for the next flight, he fell into a fitful slumber and dreamt of angels flying down to the businessmen to kiss their loneliness away. When he woke up, he swore he saw an angel fly away and leave behind a single feather that he has to this day. 

As with most of his figurative bronze sculptures, Angel Affair is rendered in a traditional Florentine patina, however, you can choose to buy it with a customized, colorful patina that Parkes creates using special techniques.  The intricate detailing you see on parts of the sculpture, including the angel’s wings and the businessman’s hair is achieved using a special sculpting technique called ‘Lost-wax’. 

Boris Kramer

As the son of world-renowned artist Richard Kramer, Boris was perhaps born to be one himself. His figurative sculptures are found in galleries and private collections all over the world. He uses mediums like steel, bronze, brass, and copper. 

Kramer learnt blacksmithing techniques at an early age by his father’s side. His work showcases a fascination for human relationships and often evokes dynamism and intensity of the kind found in exuberant dance routines.  

Case in point — Synergy — is a polished steel creation. The figures are forged from mild steel, which is heated, twisted, and welded until the figures form a continuous loop. They’re meant to showcase the strength that is found when two people connect intimately. 

This steel sculpture is about 50 inches or just over four feet tall and works equally well as an outdoor or indoor showpiece. Each of Kramer’s sculptures are unique, hand forged and personally signed by him. You can explore more of Boris Kramer’s work at Marcus Ashley Gallery. Keep a close eye on our events calendar to see when Kramer is due to visit one of our gallery art events next.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo is one the greatest, if not the greatest, figurative sculpture artists of all time. Referred to as Il Divino or “the divine one,” his skill is and will be revered for generations to come. His works during the Renaissance period are some of the most recognizable and important images in art history and treasured possessions in museums and private collections worldwide.

Featured here is arguably his most famous bronze sculpture ever — the Pieta. As one of his defining creations, it cemented his name in history at the age of 23. The Pieta was commissioned in 1498 by French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, initially as a tomb monument. However, it was so well received that it went on to be showcased inside St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where it stands to this day.

Originally carved from beautiful Carrara marble, the figurative sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ in her lap after his crucifixion. The Pieta is special because this theme of the Virgin Mary and Jeses was virtually unknown in Italy at that point in time. Bronze limited editions of Michelangelo’s work today are sanctioned by Casa Buonarroti. Formed by Michelangelo’s family after his death, they are the sole possessors of the artist’s “droits morale” or moral rights. We are honored to offer our clients and community access to these treasured works.

Loet Vanderveen

The late Loet Vanderveen’s work as a figurative sculpture artist stands out in this list for his focus on animal forms. The highly stylized poses and interpretations of his sculptures give you some sense of his great love for animals. His creations are coveted possessions in museums worldwide. Marcus Ashley Gallery hosts one of the few comprehensive collections of Vanderveen’s work available anywhere in the world. 

Vanderveen worked largely with bronze. Kudu, Greater-Regular, shown here is a great example of his attention to detail when representing the animal form. The greater kudu is an antelope found in southern and eastern Africa. As someone who’s been on many African safaris for first-hand inspiration, much of Vanderveen’s work showcases wildlife from that region. This figurative sculpture shows the antelope nestled in its natural sedentary pose in the wild. It’s rendered with an elegant black crackle patina, lifting the appeal of the piece.

Explore More Figurative Art at Marcus Ashley Gallery

All the artists featured here and more can be found at Marcus Ashley Gallery. Browse through the work of Renaissance masters and modern to contemporary geniuses alike. If you’re really struck by this art style, talk to one of our art experts for more information on figurative sculpture artists. 
Learn more about all the services our gallery offers to give you an enriching art experience, as well as some of our excellent financing options.

Alexander Volkov is a modern day master of realism. He’s most widely known for the clarity of vision which drives his creations and the interplay of light that brings each piece alive. He has a particular fondness for the American countryside and much of his portfolio over the past 30 years has featured this. His realistic landscape paintings are some of the most captivating representations of rural America you’re likely to come across.  

Volkov lives in Frenchtown, NJ with his wife and business partner Heidi Breyer. They’re parents to five adult children.

Early Life in Russia

Volkov was born in St. Petersburg — formerly Leningrad — in Russia in 1960. From the age of seven to 17, he attended a special English school. He started painting when he was in high school using oil — his primary medium to this day. This continued while he studied at the Department of Physics at Leningrad State University, where he graduated from in 1986. Following graduation, Volkov worked for a time as an animator at the Leningrad Studio of Science Films and later as a stage artist in a small theater in the city.

Around 1981, he began to exhibit some of his realistic landscape paintings with the Brotherhood of Experimental Arts, an “underground” art collective active in Leningrad at the time. Later on, he joined a breakaway group of some 30 artists called Ostrov or “Island.” These artists united together in the ideology that their work was neither socialist realism nor extreme avant garde.

In 1989 he immigrated to the U.S. In a stark break from the thrum and bustle of St. Petersburg he was used to, he chose to settle in rural America, which has been his home for over three decades. It’s these vistas that have fed his imagination and inspired his vast portfolio of realistic landscape paintings. 

His Process and Inspirations 

Volkov reluctantly refers to himself as “self-taught.” He believes that there is learning readily available all around you, should you want it; people, dead and alive, famous and unknown, and even things and events around you can be a source of learning if you’re willing to pay attention. 

As an evolving artist, Volkov drew inspiration from a host of “teachers,” including Rembrandt, William Turner, Franz Hals, Vermeer, and many other past greats. He looked to Beethoven and Satie, Einstein and Tarkovsky, and Nabokov and Steinbeck. There were also the people he grew up with and those in his life, including school and university friends, professors, and struggling artists.

In addition to realistic landscape paintings, Alexander Volkov is also fascinated by architectural depictions and still-lifes. He brings drama and poetic expression to all of this work through his favored device — light.

The use of light features heavily throughout Volkov’s work. He skillfully lends mood and creates an atmosphere in his paintings through an interplay between light and darkness. The resulting artwork always feels like it has a story to tell and draws the viewer in.

“There is no greater mystery to me than the conflict of light and dark. In the way they clash and penetrate each other, there is the source of everything.”

A Look at Volkov’s Work

To give you a deeper insight into his method, we’ve featured select artwork from Volkov, including some of his original realistic landscape paintings as well as the result of his foray into a brand new medium.

Hunter’s Moon

Hunter’s Moon marks St. John’s Eve — the Summer Solstice, a magical time when spirits are said to come out of the ground and the water and join the festivities happening all around. The painting is also meant to convey stillness and serenity with the moon peeking through the trees and beautifully lighting up the glade and the lake. Volkov tries to create a mood where the viewer can absorb this sense of calm and quietude amidst the celebrations of the day.

This realistic landscape painting is an alla prima or a “first try.” The artist uses faster drying paints and larger brushes to lend deeper textures throughout the piece. Employing this method allows him to revisit the techniques of his youth and create works of art with more passion and intensity. This technique results in a more impressionistic aesthetic, a natural fit for Alexander Volkov’s realistic landscape paintings. Volkov’s alla prima works are usually not published as limited editions. 

Locktown Sunset

This is a special painting by Alexander Volkov. It shows the interior of a church in New Jersey, close to where he lives. While the church itself isn’t operational anymore, the local community wanted to find a way to save and preserve this place. Volkov created Locktown Sunset for a fundraiser that could be used to help this church. He spent hours inside this church by himself looking at how the light passed through the space and glanced off its walls. He was deeply struck by the harmony, beauty, and simplicity of the place. It seemed to him as if the church was a focal point in the world and while he was in there, nothing else existed but him and the church. The experience moved him and inspired him to create this piece.

Locktown Sunset bears all the hallmarks of a Volkov original, with the skilful rendition of light across the church’s surfaces and the atmosphere it creates. It’s one of his most recent works.

Eternal Love

In a departure from his realistic landscape paintings and still lifes, Volkov explores the world of sculpture with Eternal Love, his debut piece. Amid the turmoil of 2020, Volkov turned 60. Those two events inspired him to finally act on his long-held desire to foray into sculpture. He felt it was a natural segue for his artistic expression. 

Eternal Love is a sculpture of two hands reaching upwards together, capturing his evolution as a person on two fronts — as a husband and as an artist. It represents enduring hope, faith, and love for life, and symbolizes enduring human resilience in difficult times.

Volkov used a cast of his own hand as a muse. The sculpture’s hands are crafted from polymer clay infused with marble powder. The base is made from solid marble. The sculpture also features his signature interplay of light, its elements are positioned in a way so as to cast shadows at different angles of illumination. 

Explore More Volkov Art at Marcus Ashley Gallery

Volkov’s portfolio is available in its entirety at Marcus Ashley Gallery. Browse more sculptures and realistic landscape paintings by Alexander Volkov. Discuss his work with our art consultants to get an even deeper insight into his process. Volkov is very open to collaboration and taking on commissions that help bring someone else’s vision to life.

Look through our gallery services for a more enriching art experience and keep a tab on our art events for a chance to meet the artist in person.

Capturing the natural world in art is an ever-impressive feat, and those who manage to portray the mannerisms and beauty of animals in art have a rare talent. Read about some of our most popular artists who explore animals in their artwork.

Loet Vanderveen

The late Loet Vanderveen was one of the most famous modern animal sculptors of the 20th and 21st century. His iconic bronze animals have been collected by Queen Elizabeth II, The King of Tonga, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many more notable individuals. Vanderveen sadly passed away in 2015, making his limited collection of sculptures all the more rare and exclusive.

Kudu, Greater-Regular

Vanderveen’s childhood was influenced by his love for the zoo and his dreams of exotic safaris. After serving in the R.A.F during WWII, he was able to pursue his artistic career and learn rare patine bronze sculpture techniques. This elegant form is enhanced by delicate patina work that gives it an entrancing color and shine.

Giraffe Pair

Look closely at this sculpture and you can see the small cracks in the patina, carefully chosen to imitate a giraffe’s. It is only with Vanderveen’s immense skill that he could manipulate patina and bronze with such care.

Tim “Frogman” Cotterill

Every one of Frogman’s unique frog sculptures has a personality all its own. The jewel tone and texture is achieved with bronze, gold, or steel, and his masterful technique lets him create animals in art that are, in his words, “just plain fun.”

Frogman’s modern animal sculptures are currently out of production, so everything you see on our site or in-person is a limited edition and soon to be unavailable. Shop while you can!

Casanova

This lovely piece is just one of Frogman’s many gorgeous frog sculptures. This lively little amphibian looks so real it could almost jump off your display.

Diablo

Frogman doesn’t just make frogs! His eye-catching geckos spark the same curiosity and whimsy as his classic frogs.

Miri Rozenvain

Miri Rozenvain’s lifelike, kaleidoscopic animals in art are beloved by collectors around the world. Her unique style is a surprising mix of abstract and realism, employing a technique that adds captivating texture to her modern animal paintings. She creates custom pieces for the gallery as well as on commissions for our clients. If you are interested in such a piece, please get in touch with us to learn more. 

Determination (Sold)

Rozenvain is incredible at capturing the depth of an animal’s facial expression in her art, and this free-flying owl is no exception. 

No Speed Limits (Sold)

This custom painting has such expressive texture that the powerful horse seems to almost be bursting through the canvas in an explosion of color.

Sally Maxwell

Maxwell has mastered capturing animals in art. Her modern animal paintings feature scratchboard, a rare and unique medium that allows for highly precise lines. She uses a distinct technique in scratchboard that allows her to add color to what’s largely known as a black and white medium. Her process is part of what makes her art highly unique and sought-after. 

Chardonnay Monkey

This painting was inspired by Maxwell’s love for chardonnay, cheese, and crackers on a happy evening: some of life’s delightful simple pleasures. The lifelike quality is utterly stunning.

Shoo Fly

Maxwell’s experience with depressive thoughts inspired this painting of crows and a bear. These crows represent the negativity she wishes to ward off. Her new slogan: “I AM the bear and I can do it!”

Discover More Animals in Art at Marcus Ashley Gallery

To see more of our modern animal sculptures and paintings, browse our online gallery or visit our expansive gallery in beautiful South Lake Tahoe. We welcome you to explore our inspiring collection!

“To capture the soul of the man, one must look into his eyes. To capture the eyes of the beast, one must look into nature’s soul.”

-Loet Vanderveen

Loet Vanderveen was a master of cast bronze sculpture, able to reproduce the elegance and beauty of nature in an art form so challenging and harsh as metal. The story behind this renowned animal sculpture artist is just as inspiring as his art, and one could not exist without the other.

From enduring tragedy in WWII, to designing fashion in bustling metropolises, to moving to the remote coastal mountains of Big Sur, Vanderveen took a passion for the natural world and poured it into art. Learn the story behind the man whose sculptures grace the residences of Queen Elizabeth II, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and avid collectors around the world.

Loet Vanderveen’s Early Life and Influences

Loet Vanderveen grew up in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. As a child, Vanderveen visited the Rotterdam zoo across the street almost every day, fostering in him a deep love for animals and the natural world. He was obsessed with someday traveling the world and creating art, but his life as an animal sculpture artist would not begin until he had overcome great hardship.

Tragedy struck Vanderveen’s life at a young age when he lost his mother to a car accident and his father to a staph infection. In 1940, his home of Rotterdam was bombed by Axis forces, and right before, the Dutch army was forced to slaughter all the dangerous animals in the zoo. 

Vanderveen had half-Jewish heritage, and during the occupation, he was forced to flee the city by bicycle over the Belgian border. During the rest of the war, he served in the R.A.F., where he became a decorated soldier.

From the City to the Mountains

After the war, Vanderveen finally had the freedom to pursue his artistic passions. His artistic career began as a fashion designer, designing sportswear in Paris and London. This cutthroat industry was not enough to satisfy his creative longings, and so, he moved to New York City, where he undertook the challenging art of reduced glazes. He met with the curator of the Far Eastern Department of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Fong Chow, a master ceramicist to whom he owed the rest of his career. Thenceforth, his life as an animal sculpture artist began.

Vanderveen’s career truly took off when he escaped to the wild to pursue his dream of being an artist. He purchased 20 acres of land in Big Sur, California, and built a house with a ceramic studio atop a mountain. After a fire destroyed the original home in 1985, he rebuilt it, and a new wave of inspiration prompted him to pursue casting bronze sculpture full-time.

How Artists Create Bronze Sculpture Art

To create sculptures in bronze, artists first create the sculpture in malleable clay. The clay is then used to create a mold, usually in silicon rubber. The rubber mold is used as the basis for the cast bronze, which is poured into the mold from a hot forge. 

Many materials can be used in the bronze casting process to make the sculptures, including gated wax, silica sand, and ceramic shells. Many artists choose to burn out the wax in the interior of the sculpture, rendering the sculpture hollow. The bronze must be molten, poured, and welded by skilled professionals with great care to ensure seam lines, bubbles, and imperfections do not appear in the finished product. Vanderveen then added an additional layer of complexity by applying colored patinas to his bronze sculptures, which must be applied to the bronze while still hot.

The complexity of his process is masked in how graceful and silky his animal sculpture art appears to be, and this is part of what makes Vanderveen so famous. Bronze sculpture art is challenging and imprecise, and the elegance of Vanderveen sculptures is a testament to his patience and mastery of the craft.

Explore Vanderveen’s Legacy at Marcus Ashley Gallery

Well into his 90s, Vanderveen continued to pioneer and innovate in his chosen medium, producing works that would leave an indelible mark in wildlife sculpture forever. He equated his works, and all animal sculpture art, to a 21st century homage to totem poles. Loet Vanderveen passed away in 2015, therefore his remaining collection of cast bronze sculptures are all that there ever will be. Now, his work has passed into legend, and his techniques may never be perfectly replicated. 

If you wish to purchase a Vanderveen sculpture, we are happy to assist you. His sculptures add hope and optimism to any space. With world-class gallery service, your sculpture will be fully insured until it reaches your doorstep. It will come with all the necessary certificates of replacement value that such a rare and valuable piece of art requires. 

If you have questions about Loet Vanderveen’s artwork, please get in touch with one of our art consultants. We also encourage you to explore Loet Vanderveen’s collection online at Marcus Ashley Gallery or come see our collection in person in our renowned South Lake Tahoe location.

Mackenzie Thorpe is one of the highest-selling British artists in the last few decades. From a humble background in the industrial northern English town of Middlesbrough, Thorpe has created a legacy of art that has sent ripples throughout the international art world.

It takes only one look at Thorpe’s famous pastel art to see why collectors fawn over his work. The smooth, careful strokes, the vivid colors, and the surreal shapes and forms tell stories and show emotions that words don’t have the power to express.

The art consultants at Marcus Ashley Gallery invite you to learn about this renowned oil pastel artist and his technique.

Thorpe’s Oil Pastel Art Technique

Mackenzie Thorpe works with a variety of media, including gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and of course, pastel. He is most famous for his use of pastels, particularly because he uses no additives or stabilizers in his pastel products — only pure, crushed pigment. This provides the strongest, most intense color possible without smearing or excess moisture.

Unlike other famous pastel artists’ techniques, all of Thorpe’s pastel works are quite literally painted with his bare hands. Thorpe works with a brush for classic paint mediums (gouache, watercolor, and acrylic) but he uses only his hands for pastels. Getting his hands and fingers into the work gives him precise control over the vivid colors and unique texture of pastels.

You can see the passion and control Thorpe exercises on paper with every pastel stroke: for example, when he creates ripples in the sky, he often uses just his pinky finger!

Spotlight on Thorpe’s Most Famous Pastel Art

According to Thorpe, this oil pastel art entitled We Need A Bigger Boat is about the job we all have to do in life: “getting love from one generation to the next.” The fishermen in the boat cannot possibly carry all their love into the boat — but they can try, because it’s the only thing worth saving.

In Loving, Thorpe uses a streak of red in a sea of black and green to show the ability of love to overcome any adversity. Thorpe smears his pinky finger in the background to suggest a somber, haunting landscape, but the focus never shifts from the hopeful, solitary boat.

In Over the Sea, Thorpe illustrates what he saw as an endless sea of beauty when he moved from busy London to quiet North Yorkshire. In his overwhelm, he tried to capture the feeling of being utterly lost in beauty and wonder.

Thorpe’s Role in the Art Industry and his Inspiring Philanthropic Efforts

Mackenzie Thorpe achieves something in his art which is very rare: he captures the human experience, with all its tribulations and flaws, and shows the hope that can shine through and triumph over adversity. He does not hide that life can often feel like an endless challenge, but he determinedly finds the rays of optimism in self-expression and creativity.

Thorpe has passed on his tremendous success to a number of ongoing philanthropic efforts. As a child with severe dyslexia from an industrial town, he grappled with expressing himself, and he knows that without help from key individuals he would not have achieved the success he has today. As such, he supports several national and international charities, including the Royal British Legion, the Meningitis Trust, the NSPCC, the U.S. Boys and Girls Club, and the Japanese dyslexic society, The Edge. He dedicates the proceeds from much of his artwork to organizations like the NHS and the NE Autism Society.

Purchase Thorpe’s Famous Pastel Art at Marcus Ashley Gallery

Thorpe’s legacy is profound, with his artwork having been collected by the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, JK Rowling, and Tom Hardy. He is not just a famous pastel artist, but a sculptor and painter as well, and his mixed media talent all plays into the common themes of love and hope while honoring the struggles of his working-class background.

You, too, can become a collector of this famous oil pastel art with the services available at Marcus Ashley Gallery. Explore Thorpe’s originals and limited edition giclee prints or contact one of our knowledgeable art consultants.