David Gluck

Replete with chiaroscuro and skulls, David Gluck’s moody and atmospheric portraits and still lifes are reminiscent of 17th- and 18th-century classical painting. However, unlike much of the classical painting that has influenced him, he does not assign symbolic meaning to the collections of anachronistic objects that appear in his work. “More than just a personal narrative, I always want to convey mood in my paintings,” he says. “I know what one of my works means to me, but I like to let the viewer bring their own narrative to a painting as it relates to them.” He begins his work by sketching a series of thumbnail and preliminary drawings, in which he establishes tone and composition, later creating several color studies before he embarks on his final canvas. He considers this planning and preparation to be as important and critical as the final work.