|
|
 MICHAEL
KUCH
Drawing from his imagination, Michael Kuch portrays
a world both fantastic & familiar. Whimsical juxtapositions
of human figure & natural form fuse into personal metaphor.
A head sprouts flowers, evocative of inner growth; another
face hides under a sea-shell hat, seeking protection. A distinctive,
patient tenderness suffuses his imagery. Anthropomorphic frogs,
wearing no more than frowns, satire our naked, vulnerable
condition. Unceremonious portraits of biblical & mythological
characters comment gently on iconoclastic times. A Sisyphus,
toiling behind a giant snail, does not strain his muscles;
his sad, soft posture conveys a mental rather than physical
burden. Kuch's art does not focus on verisimilitude, nor does
it dwell in aesthetic interpretation; rather these qualities
attend human experience as revealed from the inside: a world
of psychological reflection.
Kuch matches his prolific generation of iconography
with facility in diverse media. Anchored in solid pen &
ink draftsmanship, Kuch is at ease working in ink wash, watercolor,
oils, pastels, etching, lithography, & bronze sculpture.
Ink wash adds mystery to his meticulous line; ink mixed with
watercolor articulates outlines & solidifies space. Knowledge
of watercolor's transparencies helps him create layered, gem-like
oils. Kuch's first bronze sculpture, Pregnant Man, even plays
literally with the creative physicality of the medium. Kuch's
various talents give his themes room to evolve according to
the subtle, expressive strengths of each material.
Michael Kuch was born on October 9th, 1965 &
grew up in northern Vermont. He began drawing in pen &
ink at the age of eleven & the following year, had a one-person
show at a local museum. He remained self-taught until he came
under the wing of Leonard Baskin at Hampshire College. Under
Baskin's critical eye, Kuch studied life-drawing in the classical
tradition. As a student, he was particularly struck by the
print work of Odilon Redon, Francisco Goya, and Giambattista
Tiepolo. For many years after receiving his BA, Kuch continued
to work closely with Baskin, printing etchings in color for
Baskin's Gehenna Press. In 1994 Kuch started his own Double
Elephant Press with the publication of a book of frog etchings
entitled, A Plague on Your House. A recent book project, Apocalypse
Clocks was a millenial retrospective of the end of time. A
collaboration with former Poet Laureate, Anthony Hecht, Séance
for a Minyan, resurrected original testament figures to let
them speak to modern times. In 2000, Kuch produced the book Falling to
Earth in reaction to the events of September eleventh. Kuch's
poetry has been published in the Nation. Kuch currently divides
his time between his apartment near Ground Zero in Manhattan
& his studio in Hadley, Massachusetts.
|
|
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
A Sphinx's Field Guide - 2005
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
Common Monsters - 2004
The Gallery at The Marmara-Manhattan - New York,
NY
Sundivers - 2003
National Yiddish Book Center - Amherst, MA
Séance for a Minyan - 2001
R. Michelson Galleries - Amherst, MA
Falling
to Earth- 2000
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
Lemons Descending -2000
Marlen Gallery - New York, NY
Apocalypse
Clocks - 1999
R. Michelson Galleries - Amherst, MA
Orchid
Angels - 1999
Marlen Gallery - New York, NY
Tootling Around Nirvana - 1998
B. Beamesderfer Gallery - Highland Park, NJ
Amour & Armor - 1996
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
Amour & Armor - 1996
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
Near
Myths - 1995
B. Beamesderfer Gallery - Highland Park, NJ
A Plague On Your House - 1995
R. Michelson Galleries - Northampton, MA
A Plague On Your House - 1994
R. Michelson Galleries -Northampton, MA
Killing the Metaphor - 1993
Hampshire College - Amherst, MA
Fear of Morning - 1988
Hampshire College - Amherst, MA
Second Thoughts - 1987
Discovery Museum - Essex Junction, VT
Pen Thoughts - 1978
|
Atheneum at La Jolla
Beinecke, Yale University
Bowdoin College
Bridwell, Southern Methodist University
The British Library
Butler, Columbia University
Carnegie-Mellon University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Emory University
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Houghton, Harvard University
John Hay, Brown University
Kenyon College
Library of Congress
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mount Holyoke College
Princeton University
Skidmore College
Scripps College
Smith College
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Texas Christian University
Union College
University of California, San Diego
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Tulsa
University of Vermont
Washington University
Wesleyan University
EDUCATION
Hampshire College
Phillips Exeter Academy
|
