Harry Carmean Hard-edge paintings inspired by Lorser Feitelson

Harry Carmean and Lorser Feitelson had similar aesthetic sensibilities as can be seen in these two unexpected classic Hard-Edge paintings by Carmean. They are a surprise because Carmean is known only for being a figurative artist. The paintings were done in the 1950's at the time the Hard-Edge movement was taking off. Feitelson and Carmean's work often followed parallel paths and these abstract paintings are just another example of how "great minds think alike".

Self portraits

Harry Carmean has drawn and painted himself throughout his long career, such as can be seen in these examples. The drawings were done in the 1950's and 60's and the painting of the artist drawing was done around 2010. Carmean follows a tradition of self portraiture which can be seen in artists like Rembrandt who painted themselves throughout the span of their careers.

Harry Carmean's art studio

Harry has two wonderful art studios, one large one that he designed and built himself in the high desert town of Acton, California, and a smaller sized studio in the beach community of Santa Barbara. The Acton studio shown here, was begun in the middle 1980's and completed by 1990. He divides his time between the two studios and does all his larger sized paintings in Acton which, as can be seen from the photos, is a quite a large space.

Harry Carmean and Baroque art

Harry Carmean is one of the few artists that understands and can practice the concepts seen in Baroque art. One key idea of Baroque art seen in Carmean's art is the getting the viewer's eye to move across a painting by using rhythms and counter rhythms. The rhythms flow from one figure to another and then are integrated throughout the landscape. Also, Carmean does something few people know about called "arabesquing", also seen in Baroque art. Arabesquing involves the placing of forms in front of and in back of other form (so as to interlock) which serves to visually unify a painting on a subliminal level.  While it sounds simple enough, these ideas take years of study to master. Some of Carmean’s favorite Baroque artists were Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Velasquez, Rembrandt and Rubens. In the examples shown one can feel the excitement and power that can only come from the application of sophisticated concepts used by European masters of the 1600's and 1700's. Carmean's understanding of the Baroque period of art is the most comprehensive of any living artist today.

Photos of Harry Carmean's younger years.

Harry Carmean, (who grew up in the Los Angeles area), was a professional singer before he got involved with art. He had what people wanted in Hollywood at that time - not only did he look good, he also sang beautifully. In fact, he was so successful that he started getting some serious offers from the movie studios even though he had just turned twenty. However, at the same time WWII broke out and Carmean, enlisted and served in WWII which cut his singing career short. After the war ended he went on to study at L'ecole des Beaux Artes in Marseilles and then at Art Center College of Design and the rest is history. As it turns out Hollywood's loss was the art world's gain as I can't imagine the world without Carmean's dynamic and inspiring paintings and, as can be seen from these photos, he was one of California's most handsome painters!

Harry Carmean and Mannerism

Harry Carmean is one of the few authentic interpreters of Mannerism today which can especially be seen in his monumental figurative paintings with complex compositions. Mannerism, which evolved out of the Renaissance, started as a reaction against the harmonious ideas of classicism (that were the hallmark of the Renaissance) and sought to introduce new visual approaches to painting. The Mannerists of that time explored more discordant and distorted compositions and introduced the idea of making "art for its own sake", a concept relevant to modern times. As a way of pushing away from the traditional harmonious way of working, the Mannerists would exaggerate the perspective in their paintings. They put the horizon at the bottom of the painting, used two different perspectives or employed extreme foreshortening. The figures were more distorted, that is, they were often unnaturally elongated, the heads were too small in comparison to the rest of the figure, and there was an unnatural fluidity to the figures. The forms were distorted and "played with" by the artists, to create interesting new effects. The Mannerist colors were more garish and unnatural which helped provide visual excitement. Size change within a painting was used with dramatic effect - the very large would be placed next to the very small to create a feeling of monumentality. The ideas mentioned above are what help to make the Mannerists inspirational to the centuries of artists that followed them. In a sense, they were "modern" in the way that they played with form, focused on the aesthetic over the reality, and pushed their audiences' perceptions to the limit.

Harry Carmean remains one of the best interpreters of the Mannerist school of thought because he fully understands Mannerist concepts used and also has the technique necessary to execute these ideas. The unworldly color schemes, elongated and distorted figures, unusual perspectives and/or extreme foreshortening make many of Carmean's paintings excellent interpretations of concepts seen within Italian Mannerism of the 16 century.