Anthony Fisher's Monumental Portraits at Galerie Mourlot Explore Human Psyche Through Layered Paint

Galerie Mourlot in New York is hosting Anthony Fisher's second solo exhibition, showcasing a collection of large-scale portraits and drawings. A Yale alumnus from 1986, the Boston-based artist constructs his paintings using plaster casts of models, layering and scraping paint in a manner reminiscent of artists such as Soutine, Giacometti, Picasso, and Bacon, alongside modern figures like Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, John Walker, and Cecily Brown. The exhibition features five oversized frontal heads set against neutral backgrounds, utilizing a muted, earthy color scheme accented by cerulean blue. Accompanying works in charcoal, Conté crayon, pencil, ink, and acrylic wash reveal Fisher's artistic process, with some pieces serving as studies and others, including portraits of his mother, embodying a sense of elegy. Fisher's technique, marked by meticulous reworking, draws inspiration from a Donatello bust and his own plaster cast, resulting in hundreds of drawings and paint applications that capture emotion and the passage of time. Titled "Interior," the works delve into existential themes and humanity's elusive essence, as highlighted by art historian Erwin Panofsky. The exhibition, located at 16 East 79th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, emphasizes Fisher's dynamic, gestural lines that imbue the pieces with depth and life, creating meta-portraits that echo pictorial poetry.