Barkley L. Hendricks's Studio Was a Wonderland of Inspiration

"It seems like there's nothing you cannot find in the studio of the late painter Barkley L. Hendricks. Feathers, shells, drums, and CDs pile up in heaps. Take your pick from dozens upon dozens of sunglasses or high heels. The monograph Piles of Inspiration Everywhere is a tour presented through photographs of Hendricks's bursting studio, which spanned most of the top floor of the Victorian house that he shared with his wife, Susan Hendricks, for 35 years."

"The artworks that Hendricks created in this studio have positioned him among figuration's greatest painters. Subtly deviating tones articulate shadows and highlights in his subjects' often monochromatic outfits, contrasted against rich brown skin. They sing in their simplicity and straightforwardness. He was an artist who could do a lot with a little; his minimalist compositions and color choices complement his intensive attention to detail."

"Hendricks died on April 18, 2017. The labor to begin Piles of Inspiration Everywhere started just weeks later, while the studio was still as it was at the end of his life, his wife says. The book came together through a partnership between Susan Hendricks and David Katzenstein, photographer and managing editor of the Barkley L. Hendricks Photography Archive, who studied under Barkley Hendricks at Connecticut College."

Barkley L. Hendricks's top-floor studio in the Victorian house he shared with his wife overflowed with feathers, shells, drums, CDs, dozens of sunglasses, and many high heels. Susan Hendricks was the only person permitted to cross the studio threshold; friends and curators were turned away. Works produced in that studio established Hendricks among figuration's greatest painters, marked by subtly deviating tones, minimalist compositions, and precise detail that contrasted monochromatic outfits with rich brown skin. Hendricks died on April 18, 2017. Photographer David Katzenstein, who studied under Hendricks, partnered with Susan Hendricks to photograph and organize the studio weeks after his death. Documenting the studio also served as a way to process grief.

Read at Hyperallergic