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REALISTS
ERIC WERT
Contents Copyright © 2003-2011
BEST ART GALLERY
Lit, 2005, oil on canvas on panel, 20” x 24”
Dandelion,
2005, oil on canvas on panel,
6” x 6”
Eric Wert's background as a scientific illustrator is apparent in his astonishing attention to detail. But the difference between sheer illustration and fine art is inspiration. Merely to depict something in great detail certainly takes skill but to transcend technical virtuosity one needs to have something to say or to be inspired.
Eric Wert intends to shed new light on a tradition that began with Dutch still life. Wert literally turns that tradition upside down. In his paintings, we see bouquets of flowers, but they have been pushed blossom side down into the vase, causing petals to scatter. Instead of sheer beauty, we begin to see a story. Wert's accomplishment is to combine technique with humor and narrative.
Eric Wert received an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago and his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Northwestern University.
b. 1976, Portland, OR
EDUCATION
2001 Master of Fine Arts, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1997 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 William Baczek Fine Arts, Northampton, MA
2009 William Baczek Fine Arts, Northampton, MA
2007 William Baczek Fine Arts, Northampton, MA
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2005 William Baczek Fine Arts, Northampton, MA
2004 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Gescheidle Gallery, Chicago, IL
Prater Rouse Gallery, Norfolk, VA
2003 Gescheidle Gallery, Chicago, IL
Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL
1999 Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago, IL
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Illinois State Museum
New Britain Museum of American Art
AWARDS AND HONORS
2007 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award
2001 Union League Civic & Arts Foundation Scholarship, Chicago, IL
2000 Teaching Assistant Scholarship, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1999 Graduate Fellowship, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2008 - present Adjunct Professor, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
2002-2007 Adjunct Instructor, Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL
Harrington Institute of Interior Design
1996-1999 Scientific Illustrator, Anthropology Department, Field Museum of Natural History,
Chicago, IL
GUESTS ARTISTS