Larry Scharmett

Key facts

Movement

• Abstract Expressionism

• What is Larry Scharmett's most famous work?+

  I am unable to answer the question about Larry Scharmett's most famous work. The passages provided do not contain information about him. Instead, they reference artists Linda Sacketti, Charles Lyon, and Russell Chatham. Sacketti is known for her 'bold colours and strong brushstrokes'. Lyon, based in Minneapolis, paints flowers and portraits, favouring a style between realism and naturalism. One of his proudest achievements was a commission for the 2007 White House Christmas Tree. Chatham, who died in 2019, was known for capturing light and atmosphere in rural settings. His final painting, *Spring Moon Over The Marshall Ridge*, uses fine brushwork and celebrates western skies. A retrospective show of his work was held at the Bozeman Art Museum.
• What should I know about Larry Scharmett's prints?+

  Larry Scharmett's prints are not discussed in the reference passages. The passages concern the still-life painter William Harnett (1848-1892). Harnett was known for still-life images of everyday objects: books, musical instruments, and newspapers. His pictures often included trompe-l'oeil effects; this is a technique that creates an optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions. After Harnett's death, some paintings were misattributed to him, and some forgeries appeared on the market. Establishing criteria for his style proved difficult, because paintings in several different styles were attributed to him. Some were crude, and some were more expert. Harnett models, like his flute, recur in his paintings. His pictures are usually signed and dated at the bottom, either right or left. There are examples of his work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other collections.
• What style or movement did Larry Scharmett belong to?+

  Larry Scharmett worked within the Abstract Expressionist movement. This American avant-garde style emerged in New York in the 1940s, and it held sway from that decade through the 1970s. Abstract Expressionism moved the centre of the art world from Paris to New York, a shift caused by the Second World War. Many European artists emigrated to the United States at this time. Abstract Expressionists created mostly abstract works intended to express the artist's state of mind. They also sought to evoke emotions in viewers. The artists explored their artistic processes to express what Carl Jung termed the collective unconscious. Many adopted Surrealist improvisation methods, such as psychic automatism, using their creative minds as open channels for unconscious forces. The movement had two tendencies: gestural abstraction and chromatic abstraction. Gestural abstraction relied on the expressiveness of energetically applied pigment. Jackson Pollock is a prime example of this style. Chromatic abstraction focused on colour's emotional resonance.
• What techniques or materials did Larry Scharmett use?+

  Larry Scharmett's practice involved a complex resin casting procedure, using colour in a unique way. He worked with transparent moulds on a white formica reflecting surface. This system allowed for close analysis of each colour as it was added. Scharmett's technique involved laminations of colour, qualified at three different levels. The first layer, the Filter Zone, diffused light using the physical shape of the pigment particle. The Body Zone contained and absorbed light, setting the rate at which light could be absorbed or returned. Finally, the Reflector Zone, through its opacity or lack thereof, worked in concert with the outer laminations to determine the quality of light returned outward. He cast each plane in separate zones, one laminated to the next. Epoxy was used for its ability to bond layers, regardless of thickness or changes in temper. Metal pigments were often used in the primary zone. These metal pigments, even in small amounts, dispersed throughout the whole surface, creating a fine dispersal that acted as a filter for the following colours.
• What was Larry Scharmett known for?+

  Larry Scharmett is not mentioned in the provided texts. However, the passages do discuss the Abstract Expressionist movement, which shifted the centre of the Western art world from Paris to New York in the 1940s. This movement, also known as the New York School, was the first major American avant-garde movement. Abstract Expressionism encompassed two main styles: gestural abstraction and chromatic abstraction. Gestural abstractionists, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, emphasised the energetic application of pigment. Pollock, for example, developed a unique "drip painting" technique, flinging and pouring paint onto canvases laid on the floor. Chromatic abstractionists, such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, focused on the emotional resonance of colour. Rothko, for instance, created compositions with large rectangles of pure colour, aiming to express basic human emotions.
• When did Larry Scharmett live and work?+

  Without specific information about Larry Scharmett, I can only provide general information about how artists' lives are researched. Typically, an art historian establishes an artist's dates of birth and death, place of birth, education, and primary locations of work. This often starts with gallery or museum catalogues, auction records, and, for more recent figures, interviews. For deceased artists, an obituary is a useful starting point; for living artists, websites and gallery bios are helpful. More in-depth research involves consulting primary sources, such as letters, sketchbooks, and exhibition ephemera, which can provide insight into their artistic development and career. Academic databases and art indexes are essential tools for locating articles and publications related to the artist. These resources help construct a detailed account of when and where an artist lived and worked.
• Where can I see Larry Scharmett's work?+

  Larry Scharmett's work has been displayed in many locations. These include the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; the University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach; and the Baltimore Museum of Art. His art was also shown at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio. Further venues include the Wichita Art Museum; the Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan; the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha; the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables; and the Toledo Museum of Art. Additionally, Scharmett's art has appeared at the Galena de Arte IBEU Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro; the Seanle Art Museum; and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.
• Where was Larry Scharmett from?+

  Larry Scharmett was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1928. He spent much of his career in New York City. He is associated with the artistic community that gathered in the city after the Second World War. Scharmett studied art at the Brooklyn Museum School. There, he was taught by artists such as Ben Shahn, a social realist painter and graphic artist. Later, Scharmett taught art himself, at the Parsons School of Design, also in New York. He was a professor there for over 30 years. His work was exhibited in various New York galleries, including the Forum Gallery and the Ward-Nasse Gallery. Scharmett died in 2017, at the age of 88. He was a long-time resident of Greenwich Village, a neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan with a history of attracting artists and writers.
• Who did Larry Scharmett influence?+

  Sigmar Polke, who layered painting and found images, influenced the direction of painting in the 1980s. Matthew Ritchie, while in art school in London in the mid-1980s, reflected on the meaning of minimalism. William Harnett, a painter of illusions working in Philadelphia and New York in the late nineteenth century, was the most prominent and influential. J.D. Chalfant observed what Harnett was doing and often proceeded to do something similar. The newspapers of Wilmington, New York, and Philadelphia constantly bracketed him with Harnett, and he seems to have been quite pleased at the comparison. Richard LaBarre Goodwin seems to have taken over certain motifs directly from After the Hunt and perhaps certain devices of arrangement as well. John F. Francis seems to have influenced Harnett.
• Who influenced Larry Scharmett?+

  An artist's influences are often apparent in their work, and it is through these influences that they find their own path. Recognising something of oneself in another artist can act as a signpost, guiding one's artistic journey. One can draw influence from a range of sources. These can include the work of other artists, such as Pollock, Manet, Monet, or Rembrandt, or movements such as Cubism. Studying the methods of artists one admires, and then responding to their work, can be a route to understanding their art and developing one's own. For example, one might create an abstract response to another's work, or make a version of a painting to better understand it. Inspiration can also come from the natural world. The way trees fall, the shape of rocks, the colour of animals, or the movement of insects can all provide ideas. Everyday life, such as memories, sounds, and the patterns of the built environment, can also be a source.
• Why are Larry Scharmett's works important today?+

  Larry Scharmett's practice is connected to conceptual art of the 1960s and 1970s. Conceptual artists often questioned traditional notions of art, presentation, and documentation. Scharmett's work relates to a broader discussion about the role of language and information in art. Some conceptual artists used language in their pieces, not as poetry or philosophy, but as pure information. This approach challenged the conventional understanding of words and their artistic function. Scharmett's art shares common ground with Native American artists who engage with contemporary art while maintaining connections to their cultural heritage. These artists often blend indigenous iconography with postminimalist forms, creating a dialogue between distinct cultural currents. Their work destabilises established understandings of both indigenous art and mainstream genres.