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"Friends, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Vibrant, yet also subdued, this work’s use of color and line imbue ordinary subject matter with an uplifting sense of levity and beauty. Bolstered by a strong use of abstract element...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Danny’s Bird Pile, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Family Time, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Vibrant and moody, "Family Time" combines strong abstract elements with bold splashes of complimentary colors. Additionally, the rough textural treatment across the surface of the ca...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Ball Players, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
In "Ball Players," Chambers employs warm neutral tones to underscore the placidity of the rural environment. Additionally, the abstraction of the figures a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Way Back, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
This work’s strength comes from its use of color and line. Reds and greens contrast, building tension throughout the picture plane. In combination with the expressive application of ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Snow Bird Wagon, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Richly saturated color is applied heavily and expressively in "Snow Bird Wagon." Abound with complimentary color patterns and impressionist technique; Chamb...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"All Too Well (Lambland), " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Large and vibrant, this painting on canvas demonstrates a skillful employment of line and color. The variety of color and line, combined with a robust proclivity for abstraction, thi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Neighbors, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
"Neighbors" depicts a simple small town scene. The affable subject matter is then contrasted by the abstract coloration and striking treatment of the medium, serving to imbue the wor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Street Volley, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
"Street Volley" discusses the latent nostalgia and the ephemeral nature of time as it passes us by. The abstraction of the figures, and expressive brushwork emphasize the notion of o...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"I Saw This, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
"I Saw This" employs a soft analogous color scheme of blues, greens, and yellows. In addition to the colors, the treatment of the paint across the surface of the canvas, and the lack...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Weed, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
"Weed" depicts a simple small town scene. The affable subject matter is then contrasted by the abstract coloration and striking treatment of the medium, serving to imbue the work wit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Neighbors, " Oil on Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Who Let the Dogs Out, " Oil on Ampersand
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
"I Can’t Forget About This, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Bold, evocative, and eerie, "I Can't Forget About This" relies on its subject matter, a variety of strong colors, and a visceral application of paint, which...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Goats Don't Eat Cans, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Fresh Dirt, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"The Voice from the Mountains, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Chinese Painting
Located in Houston, TX
This Painting depicts the 'Miao' minority hill tribe people from Central China. The rich elegance of their native attire denotes the primitive sophistication typical of these indigenous people.
Yang Jin Long...
Category
1990s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"No Straight Answers, " Oil on Canvas - Abstract Figurative Painting, Indian Art
Located in Houston, TX
This oil on canvas painting is inspired by the Hindu Goddess Kaamdhenu, the mother of all cows and Bhatt’s recurring symbol of desire. The bovine figure cradles two humanistic figu...
Category
2010s Symbolist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Room 6, " Acrylic on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In Plusch’s "Room" series, we see the impression of a human figure against a background composed of imagery suggesting the assembly of an ordinary room. The treatment of the backgrou...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Untitled, " Oil, Mixed Media on Canvas - Abstract painting
By Dick Wray
Located in Houston, TX
Thick layers of paint foster an unctuousness commonly found in Dick Wray’s work. The treatment of the medium reflects a tendency toward impulse, whimsy, and vigorous expression.
I...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Oil, Canvas
"Don’t Look at Me, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
This work is a playful rendering of a placid homestead scene. The warm and reserved color palette encourages a laid-back atmosphere, which also serves to complement the aloofness o...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Green on White, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Boxing painting
By Ushio Shinohara
Located in Houston, TX
The creation of this work was featured in Mountain Dew’s “Do the Dew” ad campaign in 2018. This monumental piece aptly captures Ushio’s unrelenting energy...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Madness, " - Figurative Mixed Media painting
Located in Houston, TX
This work features an acrylic painting on canvas suspended between two wooden planks. The treatment of the painting appears visceral and rambunctious - congested with abstract and sy...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Plaster, Acrylic, Mirror
"Pieta, " Oil on Canvas, Geometric Abstraction, Contemporary Art, Russian Artist
By Olga Tobreluts
Located in Houston, TX
Bearing the same name as Michelangelo’s famous marble sculpture, this enormous painting on canvas portrays the body of Jesus - post-crucifixion - as ...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"The Water Naga, " Acrylic, Gold Leaf, Mixed Media on Wood
Located in Houston, TX
The Naga is the God of Water, which blesses the earth with rain for replenishment.
Artist Details:
Sompop Budtarad
"The Water Naga"
1997
Acrylic, Gold Leaf, Mixed Media on Wood
63...
Category
1990s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
"Effect-1 , " Acrylic on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In his "Effect" series, we see how Plusch gives location - places and spaces resembling the world around us - the same treatment once reserved for his abstract human forms. Effective...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Big Kids, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Chambers transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to a canvas, her artistic
process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Dear, " - Figurative Mixed Media painting
Located in Houston, TX
This precious work that is dedicated to Long’s first wife, Connie, who passed away from cancer, is an acrylic painting on canvas encapsulated in a custom, hand-made, plaster frame - characteristic of many classic Long works...
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work.
Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues. Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process."
“As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”
- Bert L. Long, Jr.
The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum:
“Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.”
Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain.
With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally.
Bert L. Long, Jr.
"Dear"
1989
Acrylic on Canvas with Painted Plaster Frame...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Plaster, Canvas, Acrylic
"Sunrise Park, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
This work’s strength comes from its range of abstract elements and coarse texture. In "Sunrise Park," Chambers draws upon a variety of mark making techniques and textures to imbue th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Pumpkin Flowers, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Boxing painting
By Ushio Shinohara
Located in Houston, TX
While decidedly abstract in execution, this lively painting demonstrates a tendency for even abstract imagery to resemble content we’re already familiar with.
Born in Tokyo in 1932, Ushio Shinohara (nicknamed "Gyu-chan"), is a Japanese Neo-Dadaist artist who has lived and worked in the United States since 1969. He is well known for his boxing paintings...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Room #1, " Acrylic and Varnish on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In Ivan’s "Room" series, we see the impression of a human figure against a background composed of imagery suggesting the dressings of an interior space. The treatment of the backgrou...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Battle of the Amazons, " Oil on Canvas, Geometric Abstraction, Russia Artist
By Olga Tobreluts
Located in Houston, TX
This large oil painting on canvas, rendered in Tobreluts’s trademark geometric abstract style, is an abstracted depiction of the Greek tale of Amazonomachy - which translates to “amazon battle...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Untitled, " Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative painting
Located in Houston, TX
This painting typifies the beginning of Long’s artistic journey. Having just recently entered the artistic arena at the time of its conception, this work demonstrates the technique a...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Rivers of Blood, " - Figurative Mixed Media painting on Wood
Located in Houston, TX
This work consists of an acrylic painting on canvas laid in a handmade frame of plaster and pine. The imagery of the painting, as implied by the title and crucifix near the center of...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mirror, Plaster, Acrylic, Wood
"New York Crimes, " Mixed Media - Graffiti Art Collage, Contemporary Pop Art
By Harif Guzman
Located in Houston, TX
Energetic, vibrant, and provocative, Guzman’s work is a fusion of pop and street art. An ensemble of collage and paint on panel, this work examines the commodification of sex appeal ...
Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
"Love and War, " Abstract Figurative Acrylic Painting on Processed Board
Located in Houston, TX
"Love and War," a collaborative series between Bert Long Jr. and Jesse Lott, features loosely human forms painted in a manner that suggests humanity’s proce...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Board
"Untitled, " Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work was one of Long’s earliest compositions as an artist. Even earlier in his artistic career, Long was interested in exploring the intersection of various media, branching out into new innovative spaces. This work demonstrates the technique and forms at play that have since germinated into Long’s signature style.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work.
Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues. Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process."
“As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”
- Bert L. Long, Jr.
The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum:
“Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.”
Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain.
With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally.
Bert L. Long, Jr.
"Untitled"
1977
Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Moments, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
In "Moments," Chambers employs warm tones to underscore the placidity of the rural environment. Additionally, the abstraction of the figures and gestural treatment of the paint acros...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Fruits of Life (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished), " Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work is a poignant metaphorical representation of the American social climate in which Long was raised, educated, and experienced.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"After Gandhi, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract painting
Located in Houston, TX
This work resembles a colorful abstraction of a terrarium inhabited by geometric and organic forms alike.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew ...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Party Animals , " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Playful and spontaneous, "Party Animals" is an energetic arrangement of color, line, and shape. The bold variety of detailed forms lends a dynamic field o...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Effect-5 , " Acrylic on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In his "Effect" series, we see how Plusch gives location - places and spaces resembling the world around us - the same treatment once reserved for his abstract human forms. Effective...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Home Alone, " Oil and Acrylic on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
This work’s strength comes from its range of tonal values, as well as the treatment of the medium. In "Home Alone," Chambers draws upon a variety of colors,...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Where Joy Forever Dwells. Hail Horrors. Hail Infernal World...", Oil on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
As Bhatt alludes in the title, this work draws meaning from John Milton’s paradise lost. While the title may seem contradictory according to our conventional ideas of joy versus horr...
Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Room #4, " Acrylic and Varnish on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In Ivan’s "Room" series, we see the impression of a human figure against a background composed of imagery suggesting the dressings of an interior space. The treatment of the backgrou...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Buddha Footprint I, " Mixed Media and Acrylic on Wood - Abstract Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Thai people believe that every part of the Buddha is sacred and that in the past the Buddha left his footprints for us to follow.
Artist Details:
Vichoke Mukdamanee
"Buddha Footprint...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Trapeze Artists, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Boxing painting
By Ushio Shinohara
Located in Houston, TX
Bright, vivid, and highly saturated colors in combination with a furious treatment of the medium compel this work to stand out as an iconic blend of passion and poise.
Born in Tokyo in 1932, Ushio Shinohara (nicknamed "Gyu-chan"), is a Japanese Neo-Dadaist artist who has lived and worked in the United States since 1969. He is well known for his boxing paintings, which are made by dipping a pair of custom made boxing gloves into paint and unleashing his fists onto swathes of un-stretched canvas. Ushio works in several mediums including painting, printmaking, drawing and sculpture.
In 1960 Ushio helped found the Neo-Dadaism Organizers. Their mission: deviate from any conventional form of art. Akin to European Dadaists, who’s art sought to reveal the customary and often repressive conventions of logical order and rationality, the Neo-Dadaism Organizers embodied a similar ethos. This can chiefly be seen in akushon, meaning “action”, which is the practice of emphasizing the human body as an artistic medium. For Ushio, this sensibility is encapsulated in what has become his personal trinity “be speedy, beautiful, and rhythmical.”
Ushio's bright and frequently oversized work has exhibited at prestigious institutions internationally, including the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art; Centre Georges Pompidou; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Japan Society, New York; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Busan; the Dallas Museum of Art and the Tate Modern, among others. His work was included in International Pop, a landmark exhibition at the Walker Art Center that chronicles the global emergence of Pop art from the 1950s through the early 1970.
In addition to an extensive exhibition history, Ushio has also been a prolific performer — demonstrating the process of his boxing paintings live and in-person at various institutions. A selection of these performances include the National Museum of Art, Osaka; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Austria Museum of Applied Art, Vienna; Busan Art Museum, South Korea; Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon; The State University of New York at Potsdam; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Dallas Museum of Art; and Carlton University, Ottawa.
Ushio Shinohara
"Trapeze Artists...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Fenceless, " Acrylic Paint, Resin, Ink and Watercolor on Canvas
By Lowell Boyers
Located in Houston, TX
This lively multimedia display features an enchanting field of color across canvas. The title alludes to the boundless character of creative conception, while expressive floral gestu...
Category
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Watercolor, Canvas, Resin, Ink
"Immortality #4, " Acrylic on Canvas - Surrealist
Located in Houston, TX
In his "Immortality" series, Plusch explores how notions of beauty and deformity, eternal and momentary, and life and death intermingle and blur together. This work expresses how all...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Untitled, " Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work was one of Long’s earliest compositions as an artist. Even earlier in his artistic career, Long was interested in exploring the intersection of various media, branching out into new innovative spaces. This work demonstrates the technique and forms at play that have since germinated into Long’s signature style.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work.
Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues. Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process."
“As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”
- Bert L. Long, Jr.
The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum:
“Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.”
Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain.
With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally.
Bert L. Long, Jr.
"Untitled"
1977
Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Desire, Motives, Assassins, " Oil on Canvas - Abstract Figurative Painting
Located in Houston, TX
This oil on canvas painting captures a playful approach to serious concerns. Viewing life as a circus act, Bhatt arranges figures that evoke emotions such as fear, aggression, and ...
Category
2010s Symbolist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Yellow Iris, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Boxing painting
By Ushio Shinohara
Located in Houston, TX
This stunning and monumental painting exemplifies Ushio’s ability to temper the raw energy he brings to the canvas with an innate understanding of formal composition. This work truly demonstrates Ushio’s capacity to balance his wild enthusiasm with thoughtful design.
Born in Tokyo in 1932, Ushio Shinohara (nicknamed "Gyu-chan"), is a Japanese Neo-Dadaist artist who has lived and worked in the United States since 1969. He is well known for his boxing paintings...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Feed Me, " Mixed Media Acrylic and Charcoal Figurative Drawing on Paper
Located in Houston, TX
This work bears striking achromatic depiction of a face, contrasted by a vibrant and colorful section of watermelon. The simplicity and levity of the watermelon helps offset the emot...
Category
Early 2000s Folk Art Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Paper, Acrylic
"Untitled, " Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work was one of Long’s earliest compositions as an artist. Even earlier in his artistic career, Long was interested in exploring the intersection of various media, branching out into new innovative spaces. This work demonstrates the technique and forms at play that have since germinated into Long’s signature style.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work.
Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues. Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process."
“As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”
- Bert L. Long, Jr.
The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum:
“Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.”
Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain.
With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally.
Bert L. Long, Jr.
"Untitled"
1978
Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Home From Shopping, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
Bold, evocative, and eerie, "Home From Shopping" combines a variety of strong colors with visceral application that serve to emphasize this turbulent composition.
Chambers transfor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Tomato/Toe Maw Toe, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
"Tomato/Toe Maw Toe" depicts a pastoral scene of flowing flora and fauna. Dispensing with the usual small town affectations that usually inhabit Chambers’ paintings, this work emphas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Season of the Brilliant Purple Sky, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Surrealism
By Tawatchai Somkong
Located in Houston, TX
The burning of desire and the subsequent extinction of the flames leads to purification of the soul.
Artwork Details:
Tawatchai Somkong
"Season of the Brilliant Purple Sky"
1998
...
Category
1990s Surrealist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"On the Way Home, " Oil on Canvas - Figurative Painting
By Lindy Chambers
Located in Houston, TX
This work utilizes a gentle complementary color scheme in concert with a range of hues and values. Additionally, combined with the treatment of the medium, this colorful composition ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Karma [V], " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Surrealism
By Tawatchai Somkong
Located in Houston, TX
Contrasting streams of purple in the background and red patch in the foreground highlight this semi-abstract work. The waves of smoke depict the extinguishing of desire. According to...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
!["Karma [V], " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Surrealism](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_14682/a_78704621618518362546/Untitled_master.jpg?width=240 "Tawatchai Somkong - \"Karma [V], \" Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Surrealism")
"Prince of Genji, " Acrylic on Canvas - Abstract Boxing painting
By Ushio Shinohara
Located in Houston, TX
Bright, vivid, and highly saturated colors in combination with a furious treatment of the medium compel this work to stand out as an iconic blend of passion and poise.
Born in Toky...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
