Ascent to Reason Drawing

Similar to the way a Jazz performer uses a familiar song as a starting point for improvisation, artist Richard Claraval uses the human figure as inspiration for creating Abstract Expressionist gesture in his charcoal drawings and adding abstract forms to his polystyrene sculptures. These extend the figure physically, emotionally and philosophically. Sometimes these gestures and shapes eurhythmically echo the figure, a la the draperies and landscapes of Renaissance and Romantic art, and sometimes they make visible the beautiful lines inscribed in space by dancers and athletes. Being enamored of both the Renaissance human figure and Abstract Expressionism, Claraval seeks a fusion of the two. Both are deeply involved with the kinesthetic sense. Just as one “feels into” the of a figure moving through space, the sense that one is moving with the arcs and slashes of Abstract Expressionism is clear. Having a strongly romantic bent, Claraval’s work is often passionate and intense, and Classical music is a main reason for this and one of his biggest inspirations. https://. ----------------- Claraval's honors include a juror’s award at the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh’s Annual Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art and a juror’s award at a group exhibition at Panza Gallery. His drawings and sculptures have been in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the Eastern U.S., including The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts, in North Carolina, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Westmoreland Museum of Art and Gallery NK in Washington, D.C. His male nudes have been featured in The Art of Man Magazine. Mr. Claraval’s work is in collections throughout the east, including Westinghouse Corporation, collection of Dr. Ted Steliotes and the Friends of Art Pittsburgh. Born in 1952, Claraval grew up in a small western Pennsylvanian town, and now resides in Pittsburgh. He received a B.A. in art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1977. ---------------- Some notes on my process: Drawings: I sometimes start with a general, cloud-like image of the entire piece in my mind – and then gradually bring it into focus, adding in the figure and other elements at the same time. In this case I create a pose for the figure that fits my overall vision.