Ronald Brooks Kitaji
Born – Cleveland, USA 1932
R. B Kitaj studied extensively in New York, Vienna, Oxford and at the Royal College of Art, London from 1959 to 1961. He arrived in England after travelling widely as a merchant seaman. His experience of the world made him a charismatic character among fellow students at the RCA, who were in the thralls of Pop Art. Kitaj established an enduring friendship with the artists David Hockney at this time. The comparative superficialities of Pop did not significantly affect Kitaj’s figurative work. His focus was more intellectual, looking for his subjects in his personal interests, Jewish history, the work of political activists, writers and other artists. The myriad of influences that inspired his art is complimented by the diverse imagery that appears in his oil paintings and, since 1975, pastels. His interests in the medium were instigated by a renewed admiration for Degas and the enthusiasm of his second wife, painter Sandra Fisher. The Wedding illustrates his marriage to her and reveals the construction of his composition. It is like a collage where the spatial relationships are disjointed and dream-like. Kitaj’s later style has become more decorative, with an emphasis on flattened colour and expressive line.
Masterpeices:
- If Not, Not
- Cecil Count, London, WC2 (The Refugees)
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.