Elizabeth Payton. Photo by Bruce Guthrie.
"I think my work is more capable of articulating my thoughts and feelings than I'm willing to say. I'm going to let the work speak for itself," Elizabeth Peyton said at the beginning of her talk in the Clarice Smith Distinguished Lecture Series. Peyton, celebrated for her intimate paintings of friends, family, and members of the art world, began with biographical comments then spent a good part of the evening showing us images of her colorful work, often noted for its jewel-like palette: paintings, watercolors, drawings, some based on historical themes (Napoleon), some literary (Proust) and others beaming with a downtown New York pulse: it's a subtle wash of neon applied to paper or canvas.
During the question-and-answer period that followed, Peyton talked about her different media, as well as painting from life verus painting from a photograph, "whatever it takes to get the job done," she said. If you weren't able to attend the talk, you can view the webcast here.
Elizabeth Peyton uses rich, gem-like colors and masterful graphic precision to create visually arresting portraits of fellow artists, friends, and cultural icons. She is widely recognized for bringing new dimensions to figurative painting in the 1990s and is among the most celebrated painters of her generation. Her works reflect intense emotional fascination with her subjects, while contemplating the modern nature of fame and celebrity. In 2011, she was featured in solo exhibitions at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in St. Louis; the Opelvillen Foundation in Rüsselsheim, Germany; Gallery Met in New York City; and the Gagosian Gallery in Paris.
She has shown extensively in exhibitions worldwide, and her works are included in major public collections such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and MoMA in New York City; Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; SFMOMA in San Francisco; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Peyton was born in Danbury, CT and lives and works in New York City.
Learn more about Elizabeth Peyton's work. The Clarice Smith Distinguished Lecture Series of American Art continues, and concludes with a talk by Julie Mehretu titled "Grey," on November 2.
