Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Portraits of St. Louis Artists: Barry Liebman

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I walked into Barry Liebman's studio on Sunday, saw some of these paintings and thought, "wow, I bet this guy likes Cy Twombly." So I asked if he did. In response, he pulled out a beautifully-made art book about that painter. It told me something about Liebman.

He is an abstract painter who often uses mixed media to enhance the effect. Music is a great influence on his work: he has series inspired by the work of Charlie Parker and the Adagio from the 9th Symphony of Gustav Mahler (my artistic hero!). You can click here to listen - you'll get the point. No Western music is more profound.

Until recently, Liebman was co-owner of St. Louis' beloved Left Bank Books, one of America's finest independent booksellers. He will soon be moving to Whidbey Island, Washington, a jewel in Puget Sound not far from Seattle. Our loss, their gain.
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8 comments:

Olivier said...

j'aime bien ce portrait, avec cette composition

cieldequimper said...

I wouldn't be a huge fan of his artwork, but I like his serious face against the jumble on the table. I envy him a move to Whidbey island but I'm not sure I could have left the bookshop behind...

Leslie D. said...

Love this photo. From old book stores to Twombley, Charlie Parker to Mahler this post has so many good things its like a really good chocolate truffle.

Birdman said...

Outstanding portrait, simple yet so telling!

brattcat said...

such an insightful portrait.

Virginia said...

I love all the "stuff"! Great portrait. He looks so calm amid the collage of things before him.
V

Stefan Jansson said...

I like this one. Both the text and the portrait.

T. Becque said...

I like this with the jumble of art supplies in front of him.