“PORTRAIT OF CAROL DYSINGER”: This acrylic on paper work by Boris Torres is part of an exhibition on view January 8 through March 30 at the Anne Reid ‘72 Gallery at Princeton Day School. An opening reception is on January 8 from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Anne Reid ‘72 Gallery at Princeton Day School will present “Boris Torres: People I Know” January 8 through March 8, with a public reception on January 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibition features portraits painted from life by Boris Torres (b. 1976, Ecuador).
This exhibition brings together 30 portraits from a series of over 100 painted over the span of six years in Boris’s studio in Brooklyn, N.Y. This project was first initiated by a commission completed for a friend, which Torres continued by asking people to sit for him, taking inspiration from artists such as Alice Neel. Over the years, these people have included friends and acquaintances, people who Boris admires in the New York City community.
In preparation for each studio session, Torres asks his sitter to wear anything they want — in his words, “Either something extravagant they want to show off, something special or meaningful, or something casual and comfortable.” Together, the sitter and artist choose a pose, and the painting process begins. Communication with the sitter happens as he paints (moving from face to hands, for instance) so that the person can shift and be comfortable. Each portrait is painted on 18-by-24-inch paper over a few hours, recording their shared moment in paint. Once the model leaves, the painting is completed.
When asked what he hopes students of all ages will take away from this exhibition, Torres said, “I hope they learn that portraiture from life is a special art form, it has been around always, and it’s a collaboration between you and the sitter. Painting from life is much different than painting from a photo — things are always changing in real time, and you have to keep up and collaborate with your surroundings, such as light, movement, and shadows. It is a time to be still and get to know someone through looking and silence. [Having these pieces together] feels wonderful. It feels like a reunion/get-together of all these past experiences.”
Torres received his MFA in Fine Arts from Brooklyn College and his BA from Parsons School of Design. A Leslie-Lohman Museum Fellow and artist resident at the Virginia Center for the Arts, Torres has exhibited widely in museums and galleries, including The Bronx Museum of Art, Tacoma Art Museum, Leslie-Lohman Museum, and Cheim & Read. His work is held in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ecuador. Torres’s paintings have been featured in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, and Out Magazine, as well as in films and television, including Keep the Lights On, Love Is Strange, American Horror Story, and Only Murders in the Building.
Princeton Day School is at 650 Great Road. For private viewings, contact annereid72gallery@pds.org.