165:. He has also painted interiors of a panoramic scale similar to his landscapes. Downes' paintings are characterized by their vastness of scope as much as their attention to detail: "they are composed of a fused sequence of visual observations, their horizontal lines 'bending' so as to acknowledge the Earth's curvature and the limitations of two-point
591:
454:
571:
141:
and urban scenes such as his series of four paintings, entitled "Four Spots Along a Razor-Wire Fence", Downes has traveled widely, creating a significant number of
336:"He like jam-ups of culture and nature, where practical human uses overlap with indifferent geology and shaggy flora--he is the bard of weeds." Peter Schjeldahl,
500:
478:
586:
581:
131:
118:
in 1964, where he began drawing the landscape, thus changing direction from the non-representational manner of his student work. In 1965 Downes moved to
106:
in painting in 1964. Originally an abstract painter, in 1966 Downes changed course and began working in the realist, plein-air style he is known for.
541:
531:
254:
220:
488:
576:
526:
456:, "Art Tussle in the Hamptons: The Tony Parrish Museum Is Leaving Town on Bad Terms," W. M. Akers, June 22, 2010, New York Observer.
511:
566:
277:
270:
79:
536:
389:
556:
561:
291:
228:
123:
238:
127:
493:
281:
42:
sessions, depictions of industry and the environment, and elongated compositions with complex perspective.
546:
71:
216:
513:- Information on Downes' current exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina
551:
250:
224:
166:
75:
363:
103:
443:
505:
469:
266:
177:
142:
87:
189:
197:
83:
67:
154:
27:
445:, "Rendering the Landscape Less Traveled By," Ken Johnson, July 15, 2009, New York Times.
234:
181:
520:
119:
91:
63:
59:
170:
162:
35:
414:
158:
138:
200:'s writing. Downes' own writing has been published in two small paperbacks:
137:
Though he is primarily based in New York City, where he has painted numerous
317:
In
Relation to the Whole: Three Essays from Three Decades - 1973, 1981, 1996
99:
39:
185:
483:
95:
55:
23:
340:, quoted by Schwartz, Sanford; Storr, Robert, and Downes, Rackstraw.
311:
Under the
Gowanus and Razor-Wire Journal: The making of two paintings
208:, a documentation of his painting process; and in his own monograph,
38:
are notable for their meticulous detail accumulated during months of
31:
86:
in
English literature. Back in the United States, he studied at the
150:
146:
115:
114:
Downes' friendship with
Welliver led to the purchase of a farm in
257:. He is represented by the Betty Cuningham Gallery in New York.
288:
231:
as an
Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1994.
241:
wrote that Downes "paints beautiful pictures of ugly places."
470:"Under the J Line At Alabama Avenue" by Rackstraw Downes in
74:
from 1957 to 1958. He then returned to
England and attended
313:. 5.9.99 - 11.15.99. New York, Turning the Head Press, 2000
303:
Schwartz, Sanford; Storr, Robert, and Downes, Rackstraw.
249:
Downes' work is held in public collections including the
592:
Members of the
American Academy of Arts and Letters
194:
Art In Its Own Terms: Selected
Criticism, 1935–1975
472:Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts
227:'genius award'. In 1982 he was elected into the
390:"RACKSTRAW DOWNES: Onsite Paintings, 1972–2008"
122:. Over the next several years he taught at the
66:and studied painting as an exchange student at
8:
219:in 1998. In 1999 he was inducted into the
353:Schwartz, Sanford, et al., 2005, page 175.
132:Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
439:
437:
435:
429:Schwartz, Sanford, et al., 2005, page 72.
344:. Princeton University Press, April 2005.
192:, and other publications. He also edited
307:. Princeton University Press, April 2005
206:Under The Gowanus and Razor-Wire Journal
329:
16:British-born realist painter and author
572:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
153:, of subjects including the harbor of
255:Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
7:
221:American Academy of Arts and Letters
14:
587:21st-century English male artists
582:20th-century English male artists
319:. New York, Edgewise Press, 2000
278:Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
223:, and in 2009 he was awarded a
204:, which features three essays;
489:"Landscape's Grittier Aspects"
1:
542:21st-century English painters
532:20th-century English painters
287:2011 Weatherspoon Art Museum
52:Rodney Harry Rackstraw Downes
364:"RACKSTRAW DOWNES: In Focus"
503:- interactive slideshow by
484:The Betty Cuningham Gallery
608:
292:Greensboro, North Carolina
229:National Academy of Design
124:University of Pennsylvania
577:Yale School of Art alumni
527:British Realist painters
202:In Relation to the Whole
128:Parsons School of Design
567:Hotchkiss School alumni
494:The Wall Street Journal
282:Ridgefield, Connecticut
72:Lakeville, Connecticut
537:English male painters
491:Richard B. Woodward,
271:Southampton, New York
217:Guggenheim Fellowship
479:Museum of Modern Art
251:Museum of Modern Art
225:MacArthur Fellowship
130:, and later, at the
102:, and he received a
76:Cambridge University
68:The Hotchkiss School
557:People from Pembury
176:He has written for
143:landscape paintings
104:Master of Fine Arts
506:The New York Times
419:, The New York Sun
267:Parrish Art Museum
215:Downes received a
196:, a collection of
178:The New York Times
88:Yale School of Art
78:, where he was at
62:, he moved to the
562:MacArthur Fellows
501:Beautifully Bleak
394:The Brooklyn Rail
368:The Brooklyn Rail
190:The New Criterion
80:St John's College
22:(born 1939) is a
599:
457:
452:
446:
441:
430:
427:
421:
412:
406:
405:
403:
401:
386:
380:
379:
377:
375:
360:
354:
351:
345:
342:Rackstraw Downes
334:
305:Rackstraw Downes
210:Rackstraw Downes
198:Fairfield Porter
169:when applied to
84:Bachelor of Arts
20:Rackstraw Downes
607:
606:
602:
601:
600:
598:
597:
596:
517:
516:
466:
461:
460:
453:
449:
442:
433:
428:
424:
413:
409:
399:
397:
388:
387:
383:
373:
371:
362:
361:
357:
352:
348:
335:
331:
326:
300:
263:
247:
155:Portland, Maine
112:
82:and received a
48:
28:realist painter
17:
12:
11:
5:
605:
603:
595:
594:
589:
584:
579:
574:
569:
564:
559:
554:
549:
544:
539:
534:
529:
519:
518:
515:
514:
509:
498:
497:, 14 July 2010
486:
481:
476:
465:
464:External links
462:
459:
458:
447:
431:
422:
415:Cohen, David,
407:
381:
355:
346:
338:The New Yorker
328:
327:
325:
322:
321:
320:
314:
308:
299:
296:
262:
259:
246:
243:
235:New York Times
182:Art in America
161:structures in
111:
108:
47:
44:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
604:
593:
590:
588:
585:
583:
580:
578:
575:
573:
570:
568:
565:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
550:
548:
547:Living people
545:
543:
540:
538:
535:
533:
530:
528:
525:
524:
522:
512:
510:
508:
507:
502:
499:
496:
495:
490:
487:
485:
482:
480:
477:
475:
473:
468:
467:
463:
455:
451:
448:
444:
440:
438:
436:
432:
426:
423:
420:
418:
417:Gallery Going
411:
408:
396:. 8 July 2010
395:
391:
385:
382:
370:. 8 July 2010
369:
365:
359:
356:
350:
347:
343:
339:
333:
330:
323:
318:
315:
312:
309:
306:
302:
301:
297:
295:
293:
289:
285:
283:
279:
274:
272:
268:
260:
258:
256:
252:
244:
242:
240:
236:
232:
230:
226:
222:
218:
213:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
174:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
148:
144:
140:
135:
133:
129:
125:
121:
120:New York City
117:
109:
107:
105:
101:
97:
93:
92:Neil Welliver
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
65:
64:United States
61:
60:Kent, England
57:
53:
45:
43:
41:
37:
36:oil paintings
33:
29:
25:
21:
504:
492:
471:
450:
425:
416:
410:
398:. Retrieved
393:
384:
372:. Retrieved
367:
358:
349:
341:
337:
332:
316:
310:
304:
298:Publications
286:
275:
264:
248:
233:
214:
209:
205:
201:
193:
175:
163:Marfa, Texas
136:
113:
51:
49:
19:
18:
552:1939 births
400:20 November
374:20 November
261:Exhibitions
245:Collections
239:Ken Johnson
237:art critic
167:perspective
159:Donald Judd
145:on site in
521:Categories
324:References
171:wide-angle
139:cityscapes
100:Alex Katz
46:Education
40:plein-air
253:and the
186:Art News
173:views."
157:and the
96:Al Held
56:Pembury
34:. His
24:British
474:(23.2)
32:author
26:-born
276:2010
265:2010
151:Texas
147:Maine
116:Maine
90:with
50:Born
402:2018
376:2018
149:and
110:Work
98:and
30:and
269:in
70:in
54:in
523::
434:^
392:.
366:.
294:.
290:,
284:.
280:,
273:.
212:.
188:,
184:,
180:,
134:.
126:,
94:,
58:,
404:.
378:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.