Robert Lostutter - Corbett vs. Dempsey

Robert Lostutter, Kyosei 3 (detail), Graphite on Paper, 10 x 10"  2016

I studied painting at Northern Illinois University in the late 1980s. As a graduate student, preparing to transition into the art world, I spent many Saturday afternoons exploring the River North Gallery district. I was intrigued by the variety of work being presented. It seemed as if there were hundreds of galleries, showing every kind of work imaginable. 

I believe that I was first introduced to the beautifully-obsessive watercolor paintings of Robert Lostutter at the Dart Gallery. At that time, Lostutter was creating portraits of stylized men with beautiful feathers emerging from their faces. The figures—sometime singular and sometimes paired—were tightly painted in rich jewel tones. It's my understanding that Lostutter worked with a minuscule brush to obsessively apply the nearly dry pigment to the surface of the paper. The images that he produced were a combination of colorful pageantry and the concealment of identity. I was both captivated and intrigued by his notion of the permanent mask. 

I continued to follow Lostutter’s career and in 2012, Corbett vs. Dempsey presented Garden of Opiates. The exhibition offered both watercolor and graphite pieces that fixated on the floral aspect of the hybrid creatures. In this body of work, orchid petals replaced feathers. Petals are found growing from faces—and regularly from the lower lip. The unique imagery was strangely beautiful, and I found myself eager to see what would come next… Which brings me to today. 

I stopped by Corbett vs. Dempsey to experience the latest exhibition of work by Robert Lostutter. Seeming to be a continuation of the Garden of Opiates, the Kyosei exhibition is a series of beautifully-rendered graphite drawings. 

As I entered the third-floor gallery, I was welcomed by an army of freakishly beautiful creatures—some preoccupied with their own thoughts and others staring back, passively disinterested. Powerfully confident, the array of extraordinary creatures, seemed to hold a common secret. Like visiting the lion house at the zoo—where the creatures endure a life behind bars—these beasts are bound only by their frames. Lostutter begins a conversation that will conclude only in the viewer’s mind—questioning what these creatures might be thinking as they glare back at us. 

I found myself walking back-and-forth along the long wall of contemporary masterpieces—reminiscent of an animal pacing in a cage. I lingered between images—carefully studying  the brilliance of Lostutter’s obsessive technique. This exhibition is a brilliant next step in the career of a contemporary master. 

Robert Lostutter, Kyosei 20, Graphite on Paper, 10 x 10"  2018

Robert Lostutter: Kyosei continues through December 19, 2018. Corbett vs. Dempsey is located on the third floor of 1120 North Ashland Avenue, in Chicago. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and by appointment. The gallery will be moving in the near future—making the Lostutter exhibition the last within this amazing space. 

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Robert Lostutter ~ Dutchman #3

During one of my seminar courses in grad school, I was given an assignment to create a lecture on any topic within contemporary art. The professor thought it was important that we were able to present a lecture at a moments notice. Looking back, I realize that it was a way to get the grad students familiar with what was happening in the Chicago art market. I remember making my way downtown to the River North gallery district in Chicago, where I became acquainted—and latter obsessed—with the work of an artist named Robert Lostutter.

It was the late eighties and more than a decade had passed since Lostutter had completed the Dutchman series… a body of work presenting entangled, masculine bound and hooded acrobatic figures. He had moved on to a more subtle presentation of hidden-passion resulting from societal prejudice. The work of the late eighties presented brightly colored images of men with bird-like features. Even with this new visual language, it was obvious to me that the elaborately detailed feathered faces were symbolic of the masks we use as a means of survival… a persona, which veils reality.

Lostutter’s work inspired me. I used his observations as a jumping off point to create a series of pieces, which I titled “Uniforms”. That series was the basis of my graduate school experience. Briefly, the Uniform series was a symbolic presentation of abstract portraiture. It explored the idea that we are constantly trying to evoke the illusion that our insecurities are non-existent. We create protective barriers—or uniforms—to deflect society from the space within.

Roughly twenty years have passed since grade school. My work has changed dramatically, yet I continue to follow Lostutter’s career. His work still inspires me.

Well, last week, I received a phone call from a friend informing me that one of Robert Lostutter’s Paintings—from the Dutchman series—was going up for auction. It was “Dutchman 3” from 1974. I was intrigued. I have a Lostutter lithograph in my collection but here was an opportunity to actually own one of his larger canvases. Why was it at auction? …And why was the posted value so low? …Did they not know what they had? I took the evening to establish how much I could afford. The next morning, I made a call and placed my blind bid. I hoped that this masterpiece would go unnoticed by the affluent. It didn’t. On Sunday afternoon, I was informed that the painting was sold for more than three times my bid. The piece is worth much, much more.

Image:
Robert Lostutter, Dutchman #3, 1974, oil on canvas, 50.5 x 47.8"

"Snapshots" ...Surrounded by art

Last night, I went downtown to a book release celebration. The book, titled “snapshots”, is the work of my friend, Jan Baiden. The book is comprised of a series of wonderfully written short stories—with beautiful imagery—exploring insights and observations of select encounters of her life. And it’s not the typical life. The book begins with a series of accounts from a period of time, while living in Iran.

I spent a couple of hours—on this rainy morning in Chicago—lost in the first sixty pages of Jan’s book… reading each segment and then gazing at the accompanying photographs. The stories not only transport the reader to another place in time, but they invoke a moment of reflection of one’s own life. It’s a wonderful read… I look forward to exploring the coming pages.

You may ask, “What does this have to do with fine art in Chicago?” The answer is twofold. ...As we walked into the party last evening, I was reminded of the wonderful collection of art, which adorns the walls of the Jan’s home. Her husband, Shelly Kirshner, is a serious collector with major pieces by—among others—Ed Paschke, Robert Lostutter, and William Conger. I found myself so drawn to the collection of modern masters, that it was difficult to focus on causal conversation. The collection is stunning.

And as for the book... If you're interested in acquiring "snapshots"—and meeting Ms Baiden in person—a public book signing party is being planned. It should take place this summer at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The event will be held in conjunction with a national juried exhibition titled “Narrative… the art of story telling”. I will elaborate on both events in future posts.

Images from Kirshner's collection were not available, so as a reference, I'm presenting a Lostutter piece from my own collection.
Image: Robert Lostutter, “Lepanthes Velifera”, 1998.
10-color lithograph. Edition of 50. Image: 6" x 7-1/2". Sheet: 14" x 15-1/2".
See Printworks Gallery for details.