QUESTION:
This artist’s first fame as a painter came from his abstract paintings of the 1950s. Caught up in the vibrant New York City art scene, he became a major figure of the second generation of Abstract Expressionists, with Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock among his circle of colleagues. Milton Avery became a lifelong mentor and close friend, influencing him in his use of subtle toned color zones and color relations. During this period, his work appeared in numerous annuals at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and he had solo shows in some of the most respected galleries of the day. His connection to Maine began with a visit to Monhegan Island in 1953, and by the 1960s, he and his wife spent nearly every summer in Stonington. During this time, his work slowly migrated to looser, broad-brushed representational and figurative subjects that celebrated everyday life and labor.
ANSWER: Stephen Pace
After 1960, Stephen Pace embraced his rural roots, spending time in Pennsylvania and then Maine, a region that allowed him to reconnect with nature. Dividing his time between studios in New York City and Stonington, Maine, he returned to figural art, working in a style characterized by simplified forms, broad brushwork, and imaginative colors. He most often painted his immediate surroundings, finding inspiration in the coastline and fishing village of Stonington, where he chronicled the working waterfront. IMAGE: Untitled, 58-22, 1958, oil on canvas (see this painting on view at the Farnsworth in the James gallery)
View more works by Pace in the Farnsworth’s collection.
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