By Michael Gormley
Marc Chatov, "Reginald," oil on canvas, 30 x 36 in.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and that truism, be that a by-product of nature or nurture or both, bears out in the newly opened Chatov Retrospective at the Marietta/Cobb Museum in Marietta, Georgia. The exhibition features the works of Roman, Constantin, Marc and Charles—three generations in a family of gifted artists.
The show is worth a visit. The shared stylistic concerns and favored motifs in the selected works not only betray direct blood lines, they offer a vision of a larger artistic lineage that can be traced back to the family’s Eastern European roots. Brothers Roman and Constantin were born into a family of theatre impresarios living in Rostov-on-Don, a port city in the Southern Federal District of Russia. Both came of age during Russia’s Silver Age—the short yet brilliant cultural outpouring directly preceding (and in part predicted by) the Bolshevik Revolution.
In 1922 the Chatov family escaped from Russia as the Bolsheviks ascended to power and settled in New York City. Roman and Constanin had studied art in Russia and Paris and resumed their studies at the Art Students League and the National Academy School—training that provided the brothers with the skills they needed to further develop the stylistic tendencies they were first exposed to by the Russian and French avant-garde. Roman went on to design costumes and paint murals—his first big break a WPA mural commission for the 1939 New York World's Fair. A subsequent commission for New York City's Russian Tea Room sealed his reputation and provided a steady stream of work. With his brother Constantin, Roman later worked for MGM painting portraits of film stars such as Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In 1958, the brothers founded a teaching studio in Atlanta and Roman increasingly focused his artistic efforts on portraiture.
Roman’s son Marc, born in 1953, grew up in the rich cultural milieu of the Chatov art atelier and as a teenager studied painting with both his father and uncle. Marc attended Georgia State University as a fine art major and later studied at the Art Students League with portraitist and master colorist Nelson Shanks. Of note, in 2011 Shanks was invited by the Russian government to exhibit at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg—demonstrating a Russian cultural affinity for his high-keyed colorist realism.
Marc’s equally romantic style arises from the same roots in realist drawing and high chroma painting that informs Shanks’ work—an approach that seeks to temper outré emotive expression with classical academicism. “Reginald,” pictured here, exemplifies Marc’s mature style—indeed it is Marc at his best. The work happens to be a portrait; though we admire Marc for handling his subject with the utmost grace and dignity, we sense that the work’s power and beauty arise from another source. I would venture that what we are responding to is the artist’s singleness of purpose—and the bold efforts and considerable skills he deploys to fulfill one sole objective—to create a painting. What we love is the purity of his intention—and our gaze marvels at an assured aesthetic impulse announcing its firm grasp and faith in the power of plastic expression.
This is not the bloodless art somnambulant in a Parisian salon. Though its expression is somewhat tamed by the coolness of intellect and studied technique, the academic remove fails to put out the fire. Focus for a moment on the background field of red abutting its chromatic opposite; it is a well executed optical play meant to jar the eye and throw the sitter into high relief. The expression is archaic—albeit French coded–and a charged preservation of Russian folk art. It works. We experience Reginald as a totem. He is absolute lineage—he is universal youth and beauty manifesting the promise of a spirited future that carries forward the wisdom of a distant past.
Charles, the family's youngest rising star, is best known for his tattoo work at Only You Tattoo in Atlanta, Ga. Like his father's paintings, Charles' tattoo art aims to balance a strong, boldly colored approach with a near traditional aesthetic. Juxtapose Magazine, the quintessential hipster art pub, recently called out young Chatov as "another talented artist to keep on your radar."
Marc Chatov is represented by Portraits, Inc. For further information about the artist or to inquire about having a portrait commissioned by Chatov (or another Portrait Inc. artist), please e-mail us.
“Chatov Retrospective ~ 100 Years of Painting” is on view at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art from September 27 through December 14, 2014. For information about the exhibition and museum visit http://www.mariettacobbartmuseum.org/ or call (770) 528-1444.
Michael Gormley is a painter, writer, curator and regular contributor to the Portraits, Inc. blog. Gormley is the former editor of American Artist magazine and most recently created the fine art catalog for Craftsy--an online education platform.
Portraits, Inc. was founded in 1942 in New York on Park Avenue. Over its 70-year history, Portraits, Inc. has carefully assembled a select group of the world’s foremost portrait artists offering a range of styles and prices. Recognized as the industry leader, Portraits, Inc. provides expert guidance for discerning clients interested in commissioning fine art portraits.