The Artist and His Legacy
Hulings' work defines a modernist sensibility without departing from the real—without removing all that is recognizable or deluding the audience by escaping into the wholly abstract.
The Modern Realist
Hulings undermined the distraction of class, reminding us that most people don’t move between glamorous towers or drag their knuckles. He showcased the dignity, nobility, and beauty of common people and ordinary things.
One of the Great Discoverers
Hulings insisted the contemporary world could only be fully understood by specific, personal awareness of its inhabitants. Therefore, he was relentlessly devoted to the figure and figurative work. He pursued stunning multinational backdrops replete with the day-to-day realities only visible through the lens of an international nomad.
Challenging an Audience & Status Quo
A relentless experimenter, Hulings exploited modern techniques from the conventions of impressionism and abstract art, bending them with equal ease into the service of an open-ended art of the figure that wouldn’t limit itself to conventional realist boundaries. His compositional "recipes" enabled him to play the sly subversive, literally slipping things under our noses that we might otherwise be too closed to notice.
Advancing the Craft and its Meaning
Clark Hulings assailed our bias toward the “other” by engaging culture through visceral daily reality. An enemy of distraction, he reprimanded modernism’s flight from that challenge and into the purely abstract. He instead produced a continuous documentary of a changing world at the pace of its most common inhabitants.
Freshly Revealed
New Hulings discoveries every week!
James D. Balestrieri: How Do You Write A Book About An Artist?
“Hulings was a working artist whose subject was work.” In the third part of our Haverford College series, Hulings Estate writer in residence James D. Balestrieri shares his research for the new Clark Hulings book. Jim discusses his thematic approach to Hulings’ life and work, going beyond a traditional biography or monograph, and honoring the …
James D. Balestrieri: How Do You Write A Book About An Artist? Read More »
Jack Morris: Hulings’ Enduring Value
“The experience with Clark and his work has been one of the most exciting aspects of my professional career.” Gallerist Jack A. Morris Jr. is one of the world’s foremost experts on Clark Hulings. In this second video in our Haverford College series, Jack discusses Hulings’ easel painting years. With his dual perspectives on the …
Elizabeth Hulings: Clark’s Formative Years
“When he was six, he came home from first grade with a crayon portrait of his stepmother, Elena. He put it on the table and everybody knew it was her—because he caught her likeness. I think that everybody in that moment said: uh oh. We’ve got an artist on our hands!” We’re proud to bring …
Body and Soul
“Street in Naples is no less human for the absence of particular melodrama and tragedy.” Our writer-in-residence James D. Balestrieri is offering us a preview of his chapter Body and Soul. It’s an interesting moment to think about transitions: how Hulings came of age as a painter, and the emergence of his mature themes of …
A Bridge Between
In Hulings’ transition from watercolor to oil, there was an era where he would repeat subjects, resulting in paired paintings—so we can now compare the oil and watercolor iterations. As many of you know, there is a major Hulings book project in the works, and our author James D. Balestrieri is researching these doubles.
SOLD: The Red Swing Set (Brantôme)
The Red Swing Set (Brantôme) oil on masonite, 24.00 x 48.00″ 1982 was sold at Christie’s NY October 28, 2020 as part of T. Boone Pickens’ Collection. Congratulations to the lucky new owner!
Altea #1 – Street Repairs
“In any case, the two are now on their way again, going about their business as we all do after a setback…”
Of Tarps & Work
“I must confess to an undying gratitude for tarpaulins. To the vendors who use them, they are protection from the glare and heat of the sun. To me, they are excellent ploys to be used in composing pictures.”—Clark Hulings We’re delighted to introduce you to our writer-in-residence, James D. Balestrieri, who is working on …
SOLD: Ten Below-Taos, New Mexico
“At the first sign of snow in the forecast, he’d be excited to be out, gathering source material.” If you’re in one of the many places in the world experiencing a summer heatwave, you may enjoy the chance to dive into a snow scene. The people in the New Mexican High Desert of Taos, however, …
SOLD: Fleurs de la Madeleine-Sketch
Clark Hulings’ “Fleurs de la Madeleine-Sketch” is a rare chance to see a masterful artist’s agile mind at work: making decisions, playing, finding ways to engage the viewer’s eye: it’s available at Freeman’s Art Auction.
AUCTION ALERT: Old Lady in Black – Valencia
“The old lady in black was still there, and I showed her a reproduction of the painting. Big mistake! We spent the next hour going from stall to stall to exhibit her new-found fame.” It’s been a while since we’ve featured a Hulings market scene, and today, we’re in Valencia, Spain. Many artists explore multiple …
SOLD: Bayou Fisherwoman
“There is no State in the Union, hardly any spot of like size on the globe, where the man [sic] of color has lived so intensely, made so much progress, been of such historical importance.” —Alice Dunbar-Nelson Louisiana was Clark Hulings’ family home for many years. In his own words from A Gallery of Paintings: …
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