Contemporary
Masterpieces We Admire
Artist: Daniel E. Greene, N.A.
North Salem, New York
Subject: Robert Beverly Hale
Pastel
 hen
we first saw this painting thirty years ago, we declared it
to be, in our judgment, the greatest pastel portrait ever
painted. That remains our view today. This astonishing piece
carries the medium of pastel to its absolute outer limits.
For sheer artistic and emotional power, this portrait has
very few, if any, superiors—certainly not in the realm
of the difficult pastel medium.
There is a widely-held view that pastel is a medium ideal
for "soft" or "sketchy" effects. This
painting demonstrates conclusively that the pastel medium
does not take an inferior place to oils in any respect, and
is totally capable of the full range of modeling in light
and shade. Perhaps no other artist before Daniel Greene has
so completely elevated pastel to an equality with other artistic
media.
The aspiring pastel artist will do well to study the remarkable
head and hands in this portrait. The richness of detail, the
uncompromising thoroughness of execution in very strong light
and shade—it cannot be done with greater power than is
here demonstrated.
A noteworthy feature of the painting is the highly unorthodox
background, partially comprised of repeating geometric and
decorative shapes. J.H.S.
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