David Eichenberg wins the MEAM’s 9º Concurso de Pintura Figurativas 2017

Eichenberg’s Inquiries into The Self

David Eichenberg is a figure painter who redefines contemporary portraiture by expertly capturing physical likeness and distinct textures, imbuing them with emotional energy. Balancing minute three-dimensional detail with flat nondescript backdrops, he plays with light and color depicting everyday people. Following in the footsteps of Diego Velázquez, Eichenberg prefers to paint those who traditionally would not have been considered appropriate subjects for portraiture—yet unlike Velázquez he avoids accepting portrait commissions. 

As a father of two young daughters, inevitably Eichenberg paints them on occasion but most of his subjects are artists and performers. Eichenberg’s focus is on people who are not afraid to express themselves. He’s inspired by individuals who show compassion for others, people who know and understand the meaning of integrity. He’s captivated by piercings, tattoos, and eccentric hair coloring—especially natural redheads—and people who, as he puts it, “wear themselves on the outside.”

Eichenberg’s portraits invite us to behold these outsiders and stare at them from the safe zone a painting offers, in a quest to change our misconceptions by shining a light on beauty and humanity—and ourselves. His paintings are mostly based on simple snapshots or rough photoshoots without fancy lighting which he later manipulates on the computer. The comfortable collaboration with his models spontaneously leads to learning intimate details about their personal lives, which result in fresh compositions and neoteric ways to depict the human figure.

My first encounter with Eichenberg’s work, many years ago, was Duchess of Toledo, a modern-day Baroque portrait of his one-year-old daughter Eden which continues to captivate me to this day. The exquisite chiaroscuro of the child’s profile contrasts beautifully against the miniature landscape in the background. While the contemporary pattern of her clothing and the plastic pacifier hint at modernity, the hand-constructed tabernacle style frame evokes 15th Century Italian splendor, yet surprises the perceptive viewer with quirky sculpted pacifiers. Intricately carved oak leaves represent the child’s surname—Eichenberg translates from the German ‘oak mountain.’ The delicate drop of saliva on the baby’s chin reveals profound love for his child. 

Eichenberg met Alan Coulson, fellow realist figure painter and portrait artist, in London. Fascinated by his red hair and idiosyncratic looks, Eichenberg took a snapshot of Coulson in a hallway and later painted his portrait. This piece exudes technical skill and a keen eye for capturing personality. Eichenberg states, “This is the tightest piece I’ve ever painted.” Details are so minute, even Eichenberg’s monogram signature found on the rim of the glasses can hardly be seen without a magnifying glass—note the size of this piece. Eichenberg says, “Once you know how to handle the technique, there has to be more. How to incorporate that something extra to reach a new level is different in each new painting.” 

Read the full article on: https://www.poetsandartists.com/magazine/2017/2/1/kloosterboer-on-eichenberg

Congratulations to David Eichenberg for winning the MEAM’s 9º Concurso de Pintura Figurativas 2017 with his painting Rubber!!!