Light and shadow. form and color. the basics taken to a new level. Classic work possessing a depth of character and emotion, this is the art of Alan Steinberg.
A native of northern California, Alan Steinberg’s artistic talent was apparent from an early age. "I painted and sketched a lot when I was a kid, but put it up when I discovered girls and cars." While earning a living as a lithographer and sometime musician, Alan concentrated on raising his family. In his early forties, with the children off to college and with his wife’s encouragement, he turned once again to art.
In 1993 Alan and his wife Jan, moved to Carmel, California accepting the invitation of Roberto Lupetti to come study painting with him. Lupetti, born in Naples, Italy, was one of the great classically trained Renaissance style artists working in the United States, with a career spanning over sixty years. Alan and Roberto shared a studio for three years as student and teacher, compadres and confidants.
An admitted perfectionist, Alan will spend hours developing a composition before applying paint to canvas. Working from multiple images of location photography he has taken, the many pieces are blended into a thematic whole. Experimental sepia sketches and full color renderings are employed at this point.
"Photography for me captures a moment in time, a feeling, an emotion. It is a ‘set piece’ that I can use as a starting point to let my imagination take over while painting. Using photography as a baseline is a methodology I rely on in large part because of the detail in my paintings and the time it takes to paint them."
The "glazing" technique employed in the production of Alan’s paintings is a centuries old European method. The paint is transparentized, or thinned using a series of varnishes and oils. It is then applied to the canvas in layers occasionally using spots of full strength pigment as well. Sufficient drying time is given between applications. This lengthy process may require hundreds of hours to complete an average size painting; but the end result is a wonderful sense of "depth" given to the finished piece.
"I paint in a traditional style with an impressionistic edge – portrayed in color more than form. My inspiration comes from the beauty of nature. It is my goal as an artist to move the viewer to some emotional response. If you feel it in your heart, then I have done my job."
Alan’s paintings have been shown throughout the United States. He has received numerous awards, is a national exhibitor with "Arts For The Parks", and is a member of O.P.A.
