David Fertig
Paintings and Pastels
David Fertig Paintings and Pastels November 7, 2023 - January 27, 2024
645 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94133 415.434.3055 | www.paulthiebaudgallery.com
Foreword Artist David Fertig has painted scenes from the Romantic era and Napoleonic wars for much of his lengthy career. While not coordinated in any way, the timing of his new exhibition of paintings and pastels could not have been better to coincide with the release of the new film about Napoleon directed by Ridley Scott. Having not seen the film at the time of this writing, I cannot comment about its quality. What I can tell you is that David Fertig’s new works once again capture the tumult that rocked this period of European history in all of its dramatic chaos. Unlike previous renditions of famous battles such as those at Trafalgar, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Austerlitz, Fertig has loosened up his brushwork and left more passages in a state of abstraction, eliciting a feeling that the consequences of these moments have not fully come into focus. Among his favorite subjects, including the Shannon and the Chesapeake, the Mizzentop, and the Loss of the “Droits de L’Homme”, Fertig has painted Daughter of France after J.L. David, a portrait of Suzanne le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, taken from a painting by Jacques-Louis David (1782-1825). Le Peletier’s life led her to be an early figure in the struggle for the rights of women. Born into an aristocratic French family, le Peletier was orphaned at the age of 11 when her father was assassinated and was subsequently adopted by the French State. She later fell in love with a Dutchman and wanted to marry him. Her uncles, who were opposed to the marriage because her suitor wasn’t French, petitioned the French Assembly in 1797 to stop the marriage as it would cause her to lose her French citizenship. The case brought her into the public light and caused a national debate about the role of the State in relation to adoptees and the family unit. It also raised a debate about the rights of citizenship and whether marriage would negate those rights. In the end, le Peletier was able to marry the Dutchman, however she later divorced him in 1802 and went on to marry her cousin, with whom she stayed with until her death. With such a fascinating story, it is little wonder Fertig has painted her several times over the years. Her beguiling portrait is one of the many highlights of David Fertig’s exhibition. I extend my deepest thanks to David Fertig for inviting me into his Philadelphia studio to choose the works for exhibition earlier this year, and for creating the spectacular works found in the exhibition and this catalogue. Greg Flood, Director December 2023
Décret, 2023, oil on panel, 6 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches
Seabird or the Loss of the “Droits de L’Homme”, 2023, oil on panel, 10 7/8 x 6 1/4 inches
Trafalgar, an Allegory, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 5/8 x 12 1/2 inches
After a Portrait by Gericault or Irrsinnig Kleptomane, 2023, oil and pastel on paper, 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches (irreg)
Still-Life, dedicated to Robert Kulicke, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 3/4 x 10 7/8 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, oil on canvas panel, 10 x 8 inches
After the Death of Major Pierson by J.S. Copley, 2023, oil on Masonite, 11 1/8 x 10 3/8 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, oil on canvas panel, 11 x 14 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, oil on Masonite, 16 15/16 x 20 1/2 inches
The Relief of Siege of Gilbraltar, 2023, oil on Masonite, 10 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches
Daughter of France after J.L. David, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 x 12 15/16 inches (irreg)
The Mizzentop, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 3/4 x 12 7/8 inches
The Arrest of the King of France, 2023, oil on panel, 13 1/4 x 14 1/2 inches
The Shannon and the Chesapeake, 2023, oil on Masonite, 23 x 24 1/4 inches
Ciudad Rodrigo, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 7/8 x 12 3/4 inches
Austerlitz, 2023, oil on Masonite, 12 1/4 x 13 3/8 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, oil on illustration board, 10 x 13 1/4 inches
1802, 2023, oil on panel, 12 1/4 x 11 5/8 inches
Miss Ghyll, 2023, pastel and pencil on illustration board, 14 3/8 x 13 3/8 inches
1813, 2023, watercolor, pencil, and gouache on paper, 6 x 9 1/8 inches (irreg)
The Shannon and the Chesapeake, 2023, watercolor, pencil, and gouache on paper, 7 5/8 x 9 1/2 inches
Jack Ashore, 2023, oil on panel, 4 1/4 x 14 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, oil on panel, 6 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches
The Sophie du prés, 2023, watercolor, pencil, and gouache on paper, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches
Trafalgar, 2023, pastel and graphite on illustration board, 9 x 11 inches
The Relief of the Siege of Gilbraltar, 2023, oil on panel, 9 5/8 x 10 7/8 inches
Delacroix Escapes, 2023, pastel on paper, 11 1/8 x 15 1/8 inches
DAVID FERTIG Born 1946 in Philadelphia, PA
Education 1972 1967
MFA, The Art Institute of Chicago BFA, Philadelphia College of Art
Teaching Philadelphia College of Art (now, the University of the Arts), Philadelphia, PA Artists for Environment, Delaware Water Gap, NJ Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Solo Exhibitions 2023 Paintings and Pastels, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2016 Paintings, The Century Association, New York, NY Paintings and Drawings by David Fertig, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York, NY 2015 Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA David Fertig, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, Quebec, Canada 2013 Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2012 David Fertig, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, Quebec, Canada 2011 Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA David Fertig, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR 2010 David Fertig, Sladmore Contemporary, London, United Kingdom 2009 New Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA Recent Paintings, James Graham & Sons, New York, NY 2008 Boats and Battles, Alastair Crawford, LLC, Nantucket, MA 2007 Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2006 New Work, James Graham & Sons, New York, NY 2005 Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA David Fertig: Paintings, James Graham & Sons, New York, NY 2004 New Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2003 JG | Contemporary / James Graham & Sons (two-person show), New York, NY 2002 Paintings and Pastels, The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 2001 Paintings & Pastels, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA Kerygma Gallery, Ridgewood, NJ 2000 Tatistcheff Gallery, New York, NY 1999 The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1998 Kerygma Gallery, Ridgewood, NJ The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1997 The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1996 Recent Work, Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, Evansville, IN The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1995 The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1994 Recent Work, Carspecken-Scott Gallery, Wilmington, DE Recent Work, Eastlake Gallery, New York, NY 1993 Recent Work, Eastlake Gallery, New York, NY Recent Work, Carspecken-Scott Gallery, Wilmington, DE
1993 1986 1984 1983 1978–1992 1977
Pastels, Eastlake Gallery, New York, NY Monotypes, John F. Warren, Bookseller, Philadelphia, PA Recent Pastels, Griffin-Haller Gallery, Washington Depot, CT Recent Paintings, Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Delaware River Paintings, Peale House Galleries, PA Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions 2016–1976 artMRKT San Francisco, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA 2014 Art Silicon Valley/San Francisco, San Mateo County Event Center, San Mateo, CA EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Art Miami, The Art Miami Pavilion, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, FL Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA Figures & Faces- Fighting with Fiction, Prographica, Seattle, WA. Painting is History, Winkleman Gallery, New York, NY Contemporary Drawings by Gallery Artists, James Graham & Sons, New York, NY Summer Group Show, Morgan Lehman Gallery, Lakeville, CT West Coast Drawings VIII, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Twenty-Five Treasures, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA Art in Embassies, US Department of State, Tokyo 2005 Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York, NY The Century Club, New York, NY Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA The More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA The National Academy of Design, New York, NY Twenty-Five Treasures, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA Group Show: Landscapes, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA Imaginative Affinities: Echoes of Edwin Dickinson in Contemporary American Painting, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA The Stedman Art Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ Tatistcheff Gallery, New York, NY The Westmoreland Museum of Art, Greensburg, PA The Woodmere Museum, Bryn Mawr, PA
Public and Private Collections
Blue Cross of Pennsylvania, Camp Hill, PA Chemical Bank, New York, NY Cigna, Philadelphia, PA Citibank, New York, NY Citicorp, Newcastle, DE Colgate University, Hamilton, NY Coopers & Lybrand, Philadelphia, PA Deckert, Price and Rhoads, Philadelphia, PA Duane, Morris and Heckscher, Philadelphia, PA Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, Evansville, PA
Public and Private Collections (continued) Greitzer and Locks, Philadelphia, PA Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia, PA Kidder Peabody, New York, NY Merrill Lynch, Princeton, NJ Millersville State College, Millersville, PA Penn Mutual Insurance Company, Philadelphia, PA Pepper, Hamilton, and Sheetz, Philadelphia, PA Price Waterhouse, Washington, DC. Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co., Philadelphia, PA RCA Corporation, Cherry Hill, NJ Smith Kline Corporation, Philadelphia, PA State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA Subaru, Cherry Hill, NJ Woodmere Museum, Bryn Mawr, PA University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Publications and Reviews 2024 2014
Cheng, DeWitt. “David Fertig, ‘Paintings and Pastels’”, VisualArtSource.com, January 2024. Pocaro, Alan. “Expo Dispatches: Figures that Stand Their Ground”, NewCityArt, September 9, 2014. 2013 Upchurch, Michael. “Some eerie, startling work at Prographica’s ‘Figures & Faces’”, The Seattle Times, December 27, 2013. Baker, Kenneth. “David Fertig Paul Thiebaud San Francisco”, ARTnews, September 2013, pgs. 105–106. “Bay Area Weekend Picks, April 18–21, Visual Arts: Painting”, San Francisco Chronicle, April 18, 2013. Malafronte, Allison. “David Fertig’s Solo Exhibition at Paul Thiebaud Gallery in San Francisco.” Fine Art Connoisseur, April 2013. 2012 David Fertig. Galerie de Bellefuille, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 2011 Baker, Kenneth. “Fertig at Thiebaud: His Aim a Mystery or History?” San Francisco Chronicle. 7 May. 2007 Twenty-Five Treasures, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Fall 2007. David Fertig: Recent Paintings, Essay by Kelly Purcell. Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2007. Scott, Bill. “David Fertig at James Graham and Sons”, Art in America, April 2007, pg. 146. 2006 Naves, Mario. “A Painter’s Enviable Touch—And His Napoleon Complex”, New York Observer, November 13, 2007. 2006 Naves, Mario. “David Fertig at James Graham & Sons”, Too Much Art: Writings on Visual Culture by Mario Naves [blog], November 13, 2006. Cohen, David. “David Fertig at James Graham and Sons”, ArtCritical, November 2006. “Painting Honor and Treachery”, Forbes Life, December 2006. Smoler, Fredric. “Combat Artist”, American Heritage, November/December 2006. 2005 Naves, Mario. “David Fertig’s Peculiar Subject: Re-Imagining the Napoleonic Wars”, New York Observer, February 28, 2005. 2003 Naves, Mario. “Currently Hanging”, New York Observer, November 4, 2003. Twenty-Five Treasures, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Fall 2003. 2002 Brown, Gerard. “Argh! The Cruel Sea”, Philadelphia Weekly. Prisant, Carol. “The Devil and Ms. W.”, The World of Interiors, August 2002. Savadove, Larry. “Artist Out of His Time,” The Sand Paper, May 2002. “Exhibition Review/More Gallery - Soldiers at Sea”, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2002.
2001
Golonu, Berin. “Previews”, Artweek, October 2001. Leng, Low Yit. “Art Thou Home?” Prestige, March 2001. “Review of Reviews: Art - David Fertig at Paul Thiebaud Gallery”, The Week, December 2001. 1996 Sozanski, Edward J. The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 17, 1996. 1994 Gardner, James. The New York Review of Art, February 1994. 1993 Meyers, Susan. The Kennett Paper, October 28 – November 3, 1993. 1992 Sozanski, Edward J. The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 1992. Mangravite, Andrew. “David Fertig’s Big-Top Display”, Welcomat-After Dark, March 25, 1992. 1990 Stern, Fred. “Letters from America”, Mizue, Spring 1990. 1989 Grove, Nancy. “Not So Simple”, Art and Antiques, December 1989. 1985 LeClair, James. Painting the Still Life, Watson-Guptil Publications. Scott, William. American Artist, November 1985. 1984 Leonard, Elizabeth. Painting the Landscape, Watson-Guptil Publications.
Cover: Daughter of France after J.L. David (detail), 2023 Rear Cover: The Arrest of the King of France (detail), 2023 Copyright 2023 Paul Thiebaud Gallery. All Rights Reserved. Images copyright 2023 David Fertig. Design: Greg Flood and Matthew Miller All images, photo: Matthew Miller No portion of this document may be reproduced or stored without the express written permission of the copyright holder(s).