Audrey Flack

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Audrey Flack

Audrey Flack is often referred to as one of the leading artists of Photorealism. In
the 1960s, Audrey Flack began her career in the realm of Photorealistic art even though
her earlier training was in abstract expressionism. She interpreted the photographs but
reworked them into more expressive representations.
Audrey Flack was born in New York City in 1931. She knew she wanted to be an
artist even as a child. Despite her family’s lack of enthusiasm she pursued her art career.
“Flack attended the High School of Music and Art, where she won the St. Gaudens medal” (Sheldon 1.)
“Following graduation from Cooper unions she where she was a top student, she was recruited by Josef
Albers to participate in the fine arts program at Yale” (Sheldon 1). Josef Albers is a renowned
color abstractionist. This didn’t stop her from painting realistic things and she returned to
figurative painting as early as 1952. Flack graduated from Yale University’s School of Art
and Architecture in 1952 with a B.F.A. Flack also received her doctorate in 1977 from
Cooper Union.
After Cooper Union, Flack moved back to New York to study anatomy at the Art
Students League. This gave her a chance to respond to her desire to paint realistically.
This technique was ignored in her previous art education. “Flack writes: ‘I always wanted
to draw realistically. For me art is a continuous discovery into reality, an exploration of visual data
which has been going on for centuries, each artist contributing to the next generation’s advancement. I
wanted to go a step further and extend the boundaries. I also believe people have a deep need to
understand their world and that art clarifies reality for them” (Sheldon 1.) Flack has long since
moved beyond the strict regulations of what photore...