Robert Thalmann

Artist Statement

I have been working with black and white photography since 1990, focusing primarily on male nude imagery. My current photogravure series is a continuation of these studies.

 Recently I have been deeply influenced by the drawings of Paul Cadmus. Cadmus (1904-1999), devoted decades to drawing the male nude. His style of figurative realism combined Renaissance-era traditions, which depicted the natural beauty of the male form. The Renaissance artists depicted the idealized male. Cadmus, on the other hand, brought the form down to a more realistic level, casual and domestic. His contemporary interpretation included using a variety of unexpected angles and the involved use of foreshortening.

Like Cadmus, my male nude studies employ figurative realism, through photography rather than through drawing. I try to capture some of the complex angles and foreshortened images he created. Then I use the gravure process to evoke certain moods, often with ethereal and erotic qualities. Sometimes I include modern touches like tattoos and piercings, continuing the tradition of celebrating the male form.

Biography

Place of Birth:

Huntington, New York    

Date of Birth: 1969   

Education:

Bachelor of Arts - State University of New York College at Oneonta

Major Exhibitions:

2006: Solo Show, Male of the Species, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2005: EPAA Arts International Exhibition, El Paso, TX

            ~Juror Recognition Award

2005: Introducing, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2005: International Figure Exhibition, Red Dot Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM.

2004: One of a Kind, Yale Art Studio, Albuquerque, NM
2003: Inner Mythos, Ironic Horse, Albuquerque, NM
2000: Animus, Ironic Horse, Albuquerque, NM
1991: Works on Paper, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Major Collections:

El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX

Albuquerque Museum

Museo de la Estampa, Mexico City

Western University, Silver City, NM

UNM Law School, Albuquerque, NM

UNM Hospital, Albuquerque, NM

Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

University of Texas at Austin

State University of New York at Oneonta

Hematology Oncology Clinic, Albuquerque, NM

University of North Carolina at Fayetteville