Bechtle's life and work

Brief Biography:

1932 -born in San Francisco and raised across the Bay in Alameda

1954 -earned BFA from

the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in graphic design and painting

1957 –began showing work

1958 –earned MFA

1964 –began to use black and white photographs in studio as aids to depict his surroundings as they really looked instead of his interpretation of how they looked

1964 –began to project color slides onto canvas

1999 –retired after 30 years from teaching

http://www.corcoran.org/exhibitions/previous_results.asp?Exhib_ID=161

http://artscenecal.com/Listings/LongBeach/CSULBFile/CSULongBeachExhibitions/RBechtleFile/RBechtleBio.html

His process:

Video http://www.kqed.org/arts/people/spark/profile.jsp?id=4813

5.25 (+before for bay area history)

8.30-9

“Bechtle is one of three Northern California artists, along with Ralph Goings and Richard McLean, who originated the West Coast photorealist style. Their work is distinguished from that of their New York counterparts by use of the bristle brush rather than airbrush, spontaneous outdoor scenes rather than the subject matter of studio still lifes and figures, and use of sharp focus for all depths of the image (unlike the images a camera would produce)” (3)

His subject matter:

I. Middle class icons as subjects:

Family genre sceens, streetscapes, car portraits. (2)

II. "‘My subject matter is my immediate world, objects that I know and care about,’ Bechtle says in the exhibition catalog. ‘They represent the essence of the American experience.’ His streetscapes are neutral, objective, often devoid of any human presence. Bleached by the strong California sun, the scenes reflect a sense of void and alienation.” (3)

“[Richard Estes paintings] denuded of people the painting feels icy, soulless and oppressive. It is like sitting alone in a massive, empty concert hall.” (4)