Philip Pearlstein

Pearlstein established his reputation in the 1950s as a champion of realism and the figurative tradition at a time when abstract art dominated the avant-garde. He is best-known for his depictions of nude models in the studio, remarkable for their singular cropping and complex compositions involving a variety of props. In 1943, after studying at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pearlstein was drafted and remained in the army until 1946. This watercolor landscape complements a group of nearly a hundred of Pearlstein's drawings from this period in the Morgan collection, including several figure studies that he also created during training in Florida.