Joe Fig is an American painter and sculptor who began exploring artists’ working methods by interviewing over 50 artists, asking the same 15 questions of each. The intimate insights gleaned from the interviews led Fig to create meticulously crafted miniature models or dioramas of the artists at work in their studios. It also culminated in a book entitled, Inside the Painter’s Studio:
Inside an art gallery, it is easy to forget that the paintings there are the end products of a process involving not only creative inspiration, but also plenty of physical and logistical details. It is these “cruder,” more mundane aspects of a painter’s daily routine that motivated artist Joe Fig to embark almost ten years ago on a highly unorthodox, multilayered exploration of the working life of the professional artist.
Below you will find a small selection of famous artists in their studios including: Pollock, Matisse and de Kooning. You will also find contemporary artists whom Joe met and photographed personally before creating his dioramas. You can see much more on his website including close-ups of the artists’ studio spaces. The level of detail is truly extraordinary.
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
1. Jackson Pollock
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
2. Willem de Kooning
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
3. Inka Essenhigh
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
4. Tom Friedman
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
5. Malcolm Morley
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
6. Chuck Close
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
7. April Gornik
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
8. Henri Matisse
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
9. Steve Mumford
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
10. Ross Bleckner
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
11. Ursula von Rydingsvard
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
12. Matthew Ritchie
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
13. Self-Portrait
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
14. Constantin Brâncuși
Website | Gallery | Inside the Painter’s Studio on Amazon
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