Warning: Paintings are Much Larger Than They Appear in Print.” That tagline should accompany every printed image of an Alex Katz painting. Impressive in size but simple in subject matter, his works have the visual power to stop viewers in their tracks.
“I’d rather see a painting of grass or flowers by a great artist than a great subject by a poor artist,” Katz says. “If the art is bad, then the subject matter becomes more important to the painting.”
This credo has guided the abstract/realist artist throughout his life — from plein air painting to portraits, figures and landscapes. Whether it’s springtime leaves, a cocktail party or a picturesque image of Maine, where the artist has a second home, Katz’s subjects pop off the canvas with big brushstrokes of bold color.
While his landscapes possess a certain softness in their detail, his figurative works appear like a scene from a Robert Altman film. Close up and harshly cropped, they bring the viewer into the scene, as if eavesdropping on a private conversation.
When asked if there is less conscious thought given to what he paints than how he paints, Katz is quick to respond.
“My works are more about the paint and the process. There is, however, conscious thought to what I paint. Some of the subject matter is old and new — but basically I don’t like narrative art. I don’t like it when the subject matter is overly dramatic. I paint my own life or that which surrounds me.”
At once subtle yet imposing, his paintings, like Katz himself, present a contradiction in terms. The very antithesis of a “messy artist,” Katz is extremely methodical in his approach, literally mapping out virtually every painting he begins.
“It’s a world of preparation,” he says. “You can practice it a hundred times, and it still allows you great flexibility in the process.” All of this planning helps when creating 10 by 20-foot canvases in a day. “If you’re going to paint a 20-foot canvas, you’d better have an idea of what you’re doing,” he adds.
The son of a politically active actress and a businessman, Katz learned early on that the key to success was to be disciplined in your craft.
“I remember when my father would use a tool, then he’d misplace it, and I saw that this process just didn’t work. I found that if I have things where they’re supposed to be, I’m better off,” he says.
Though he unknowingly taught Katz what not to do in some areas, his father told him exactly what to do when it came to his artistic career. “When I was a teenager, I did watercolors with a friend of mine who was a much better painter. When we came back to the house, my dad told my friend that he was going to be a great commercial artist. Then he turned to me and said ‘Son, you have to be a fine artist.’ He told me to paint the sensation of what you’re seeing. He knew everything,” Katz says.
Born in Queens, N.Y., in 1927, Katz felt separated culturally from his parents who were from Russia. Thus, he was forced to grow up quickly and develop a sense of self that can be seen in his body of work.
“My parents let me do what I wanted to do. I was sort of more in my head,” he says.
Schooled in modern art at Cooper Union from 1946 to 1949, Katz discovered his love of landscapes and outdoor scenes at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine.
“It was all instinct. It all felt great. If I had listened to anything logical, I wouldn’t have been doing what I was doing,” he says.
Katz’s paintings from his early years remain as relevant today as they did back then. He continues to work from his home and studio in New York, which he has shared with his wife, model and muse, Ada, since 1968. Gracing more than 100 paintings, Ada remains Katz’s most favorite subject.
From March 10 to April 9, 2005, Katz’s landscapes and portraits will be on view at Rosenbaum Contemporary in the Gallery Center in Boca Raton. For more information, call the gallery at 561/994-9180.

Rosenbaum Contemporary will show Alex Katz’s work from March 10 to April 9. Photography by Vivien Bittencourt.

Nearly 10 by 8 feet, “Birches” exemplifies Katz’s love of painting nature in bold colors. Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate.

This 1999 oil on canvas, “Harbor #9, captures a beach scene in Maine, where Katz and his wife, Ada, have a second home.

The vertical orientation of “Myrtle” creates the illusion of falling flowers. Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate.

Katz says a more generalized beauty makes someone interesting to paint. Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate.