Realist revitalization

Paintings by colleagues of Nelson Shanks will be auctioned to benefit the Red Cross.

By: Jessica Loughery
   In Italian, "incamminati" means "those who are progressing." The word was incorporated into the title of the 16th-century Bolognese Accademia degli Incamminati, an organization established in the interest of directing Italian painting toward classical realism.
   Five centuries later, the same word has been incorporated into Philadelphia’s Studio Incamminati, formed by Bucks County artist Nelson Shanks and his wife, Leona Shanks. Their idea was to provide a place where realist artists could continue their careers by studying art in the tradition of the Italian accademia. The studio’s mission statement begins with the following:
   "Studio Incamminati exists to meet the expressed needs of students eager to learn the aesthetic and philosophical principles of humanist realism and the techniques espoused by Nelson Shanks."
   A Bucks County resident for 38 years, Mr. Shanks is known throughout the world for his realist artwork, a field of painting he’s long been associated with.
   "Nothing else made a lot of sense to me," he says. "(Realist art) is tied to the world we live in because it perks and tweaks views of what we see and know."
   Notable venues such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Royal Palace in Stockholm and Kensington Palace in London currently exhibit Mr. Shanks’ paintings. He has been commissioned to create portraits of Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II, Luciano Pavarotti and Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, though he downplays his experiences with the rich and famous.
   "There’s a certain tenor that accompanies (those sittings)," he says. "I’m trying to be impressed, but if I look at it objectively, I get enormous gratification and at least as much depth and good feeling out of people who aren’t that famous."
   Just this year, Mr. Shanks was recognized by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell with the Distinguished Arts Award, presented to an internationally known Pennsylvania artist whose work has affected the state.
   "It’s wonderful to be recognized," Mr. Shanks says. "The basis of my art is over 50 years of working quietly, without much of an audience. It’s always wonderful to get that sort of recognition. I think by the time you get it, usually it’s just warming, and not overwhelming."
   As his biggest influences, Mr. Shanks names a number of artists including John Koch, who took him on as a private student, as well as Edwin Dickinson, for whom he worked as a class monitor at New York’s Art Students League in his younger years. "I tried to study with those I perceived to be the best," he says.
   He also speculates about the influence his surroundings have on his painting style.
   "I don’t know whether I was of a certain kind of mindset and disposition and that caused me to move (to Bucks County) and paint a certain way or whether the environment lured me here and changed me," Mr. Shanks says. "I paint in New York a lot also and in Philly at the school. Aside from the fact that I’m too busy, I find it a very compatible mix. I think if I were in one environment only I would go a bit stir-crazy."
   Now a seasoned artist, Mr. Shanks has always felt a responsibility to share his knowledge and experience. He’s held teaching positions in Memphis and Chicago, as well as Bucks County.
   "Somehow or other I have just always felt the obligation or the privilege to teach," he says. "It’s been a tradition in the field of arts and with most professional fields that are ancient. That’s how information was passed along."
   He devotes himself specifically to teaching realist art.
   "That’s the kind of art that I believe in, and it’s in need of revitalization," Mr. Shanks says. "Let’s say standards have gotten so low that anyone can do almost anything and call it art. Many people have sort of seized on that and standards of excellence have sort of disappeared."
   Four and a half years ago, Mr. and Ms. Shanks established Studio Incamminati in a 7,000-square-foot space in Center City, Philadelphia.
   "I’d been teaching apprentices in my personal studio for years and that became sort of impractical," he says.
   The studio serves more than 30 full-time students from around the world. For a fraction of the tuition of the average art school, participants study drawing and painting techniques that support creative expression and visual communication. The studio also brings in international artists for frequent workshops, lectures and other events.
   For the second year in a row, Mr. Shanks and the studio’s artists will be the featured guests Sunday at the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey’s "An Evening with Maestro Nelson Shanks." Landscapes, still lifes and figure drawings by studio artists including Ms. Shanks and Kerry Dunn will be shown and sold, with all proceeds benefiting both the Red Cross and the artists.
   Mr. Shanks wholeheartedly supports these works and their creators, objecting to calling the latter "students."
   "(The word) is a little misleading," he explains. "Leonardo Da Vinci considered himself a student of the arts.
   "These are very, very advanced people, which is part of the idea (of the studio). All have to be up to a very high level of drawing the human figure. These are people who have degrees in art and want to rise to a much higher level."
   Recalling how the fundraiser came to be, Mr. Shanks says, "(The Red Cross) asked if I would have a one-man show, and I said I thought getting the studio involved was an even more exciting idea."
   "We’re hoping to make it a continued effort as the studio grows and as it catches on," he continues. "I feel very strongly about the Red Cross. I like the idea that it’s international and of unquestioned authenticity."
   Mr. Shanks expects Studio Incamminati to continue to expand. "We’re growing and more people are congregating that are like-minded. We really have some seriously exciting people getting interested in our cause and our school."
   Recently, Mr. Shanks returned from a trip to Italy where he met with a few of these interested individuals. Remembering his days studying art with Pietro Annigoni at the Accademia di Belle Arti there, he’s amazed by the newest development in the life of Studio Incamminati.
   "The Italians want me to open a branch in Florence," he says. "The table is turned, and they want us to come there."
The American Red Cross of Central New Jersey will present "An Evening with Maestro Nelson Shanks," featuring works by Studio Incamminati artists for auction, at the Chauncey Conference Center at ETS, Rosedale and Carter roads, Lawrence, on Sunday from 5-7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $100; for availability, call Mindy Lazar at (609) 951-2114 or e-mail [email protected].

New Jersey Red Cross on the Web: www.njredcross.org. Studio Incamminati on the Web: www.studioincamminati.org