Robert V. Reid
Artist’s Statement
My subject is primarily the human form. There is no greater joy than capturing the complex human element. With color, light and space, I seek to manifest the energy and emotions of my subjects, offering moments of beauty, serenity, and introspection. I am particularly inspired by the female figure-multi-dimensional, alluring, beautiful and strong. My figures are not historical or political, simply human, speaking a universal language. They typically inhabit spaces void of background and sense of place, allowing the viewer to develop a personal emotional rapport, by putting the figure in a context of their choosing, and writing their own narrative. My artwork reflects my love of mankind and the human form coming from my love of family.
Artist’s Bio
Born in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago and raised in its rich cultural milieu, light, color, and movement are deeply embedded in Robert V. Reid’s collective unconscious. With graphite, charcoals, watercolor and oils, Reid uses these elements to create emotive rendering of the human form.
Reid’s creative journey began in Trinidad where he was introduced to several significant Caribbean artists who mentored him and nurtured his natural, untrained talent. Over a 18- 20 year career, Reid’s work has changed to mirror his journey from the Caribbean to New York City. He arrived in New York, as a trained architectural draftsman, with a passion for painting and an urge to record, invent and manipulate the human image using raw talent. His immersion into the New York art scene led him to study at the School of Visual Arts and the Arts Students League, where he developed new techniques and sharpened his technical skills.
Reid has since created a body of work that reveals an impressive range of skills- works ranging from detailed- styled figurative realism rendered in oils, to stunning watercolors that blur the line between figurative and abstract paintings, to drawings in charcoal and pencil that demonstrate sound draftsmanship.
Reid’s figure paintings are characterized by the absence of a background, his focus is not on the space that the figures inhabit, but on the figures themselves; thereby empowering the viewer to imagine a space of their choice and to create their own answers as to why the figures are there.
The female figure has been one of the important subjects of painting and has been reinterpreted by painters in various styles throughout history; Reid joins this legion of painters with his favorite subject being the female form, painted from live models.
Mr. Reid has exhibited throughout America and Europe. His works have been displayed in private and public institutions, including The Studio Museum, Harlem, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, The Schoenberg Center Museum, New York. His works are also widely collected. He received a scholarship from the Art Student League and was the winner of the first Annual Watercolors and Drawings, Valentine, NY as well as a recipient of the Jean Gates Artist Award. Mr. Reid has also exhibited alongside such notable artists as Dean Mitchell, Kadir Nelson, Larry Walker and Kehind Wiley.