Stan Taft

Artist Info

Biography

Stan Taft received a BFA degree with a concentration in painting from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1967,then a MFA degree in painting from Fort Wright College in 1969.Taft has taught at SUNY Purchase, the University of Iowa, and in the Cornell art department since 1985.Taft's publication's include co-authorship on the analysis of artist pigments in the journal of the Materials Research Society and principal author with James Mayer of "The Science of Painting" published by Springer-Verlag in 2000.

Style

Taft’s extensive background in painting shows in his balance of using crisp angles, smooth backgrounds, and painterly abstract shapes.He finds the subject matter for his paintings during his many trips to Rome and other Italian cities. It is through close observation and personal experience that he is able to deliver unique architectural views that feel as though you could step right into the scene.

Statement

"For the past 20 years my experiences and observations during periodic residencies in Italy have constituted the primary resources for my work. The particular urban conditions present in Rome and some other Italian cities (Ravenna, Modena, Verona) suggest narratives that are removed from but adjacent to the historical and cultural image of the city. I’m interested in the translucency of these sites as cultural objects and as lenses through which we are compelled to witness the interactions of their residents."

Honors

Stan Taft received a project grant in 1994 from the Institute for Studies in Arts, Arizona State University. In 1990, he was elected scientific member (Bohmische Physical Society) by the International Scientific Honorary Society. Taft's has multiple solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally including: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, The Museum of Contemporary Arts, Baltimore, MD, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ, International Conference on Science and Art, Beijing, China, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, Hartell Gallery, Ithaca, NY, and Corners Gallery, Ithaca, NY

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