DANA LEVIN EYES REALITY AT THE WISTARIAHURST MUSEUM

by Tamara Moscowitz

Followers of Classical Realism will want to take a short trip during June or July to catch Dana Levin’s exhibition “Eyes on Reality – Still Life, Figure and Landscape” at Wishariahurst Museum in Holyoke, Massachusetts. A member of the Contemporary Realism School, Levin, an award winning, critically acclaimed painter has developed a singular vocabulary by combining characteristics of both Baroque painting and Classical Realism, qualities that set her work apart from the formality of the genre.


Representational art’s tradition focuses on the more “real” the painting the better the painting, was one impetus for Levin to take an opposing position. Establishing her role as one to reinterpret, to repackage, to present an alternative reality allows the viewer to see nature through the lens of the artist and heightens their experience by adding another dimension.

Classical Realism came on the scene in the early 1980s promulgating an aesthetic reflective of 19th century neoclassical and traditions of Western art including realism and impressionism. Its preference for order, beauty and harmony with an emphasis on craftsmanship is an attempt to revive techniques used prior the advent of Modern Art.

Portrait of a Young Man

Levin counts among her influences Rembrandt, Degas, and Bruegel, artists from the Baroque period who sought to portray emotion that appeals to the senses. Although realistic, her portraits are infused with emotion and moods as can be seen in the “Portrait of a Young Man, a painting reminiscent of Velázquez’s “Self-Portrait (1640), where both subjects’ gaze is directed away from the viewer with a strong psychological underpinning that is somber and melancholy.

Orchids and Apples

“When you paint from life you are making constant choices: what to leave in and what to leave out…what do you want the viewer to focus on.” In “Calalillies,” the eye is drawn to the startling beauty and whiteness of the flowers, then slowly moving down toward the fruit that is only partially visible. In creating realistic images with “a painterly technique that is more poetic than illustrative,” as Levin again illustrates in “Bed of Abundance,” her aim is to balance between the reality of the actual and the evoking a visceral response from the viewer.

Dana Levin received her BFA from the acclaimed Art Institute of Chicago and subsequently went on to train at the influential Florence Academy of Art in painting and drawing techniques of old masters. She stayed on to teach during which time she also undertook an intense self-study of realism in oil painting by visiting the museums in Europe. Having exposure to different styles broaden the breadth of her vision. Upon returning to the US, Levin opened an atelier school (a school of thought to teach the movement’s founding principles) in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which has since closed for Levin to spend more time painting.

Even those who not familiar with classical realism or Dana Levin will find the paintings in the exhibition works of depth and beauty. For interested parties, Levin will lead a Life Drawing Master Class on June 19. Details are @ http://www.wistariahurst.org/ or call (413) 322-5660.