“Rush”(detail) by Alex Katz, 1971, Oil on aluminum
The point of any portrait – be it a photograph, painting or print – is to get to the heart of a person. “Alex Katz Prints”, on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through July 29, 2012 features talented portraiture in high style. A Katz print is unmistakable, with its dramatic scale and graphic punch. To say that his portraits are abstract misses the point; Katz has distilled his images into their purest form, so that every line and each color help characterize the sitter.
“Gray Day” by Alex Katz, 1992, Screenprint
His favorite model and muse through the decades has been his wife, Ada, and his other portraits tend to be of friends and family, as well. I found the series of couples’ portraits to be especially intriguing; the positioning of each couple deftly reveals some compelling aspect of their relationship.
“Pas de Deux” by Alex Katz, 1994, Serigraph
Into the planar, streamlined composition of his portraits, Katz infuses elements of gesture and nuance. This creates a somewhat unexpected opportunity for viewer contemplation, but it is always delivered with Katz’s signature style of intense visual impact.
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