Image Credit: paintingperceptions.com 
Image Credit:© 2020 MOUNTAIN LAKE PBS
Post-Cold War American artist, Jerome Witkin (1939-present), is famous for his figurative paintings. His realistic style is often compared to that of Lucian Freud. Within his work one can see influences from abstract expressionism, social realism, and the old masters. His narrative paintings touch on themes of politics and his portraits reveal the sitter’s inner character. As an extremely influential painter, his artworks are found throughout the world in several prominent museums and galleries.
Witkin was born in New York and studied art at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Cooper Union, and the Berlin Academy. After his studies Witkin continued to develop his style in Europe. His work is influenced by his studies, travels, and the death of his father, and touches on political themes such as torture, the AIDS epidemic, and the Holocaust. He sees art as his way to address the happenings of the twentieth century.