1990
Interview with Richard Lack
Interview with Richard Lack
This video features an interview with Minnesota artist-teacher Richard F. Lack (1928-2009). The interview is conducted by Canadian/American artist, educator and producer, Clarice Chris Matteson (1918-2012) for a Public Service Program called, Accent on Art, which she hosted. The interview took place in Bloomington, Minnesota during 1990.
Born into the Great Depression, Mr. Lack spent his life pursuing the painting methods of the Renaissance and 19th century masters. Showing promising drawing ability in his primary school years, Mr. Lack began drawing from life in classes held at the Walker Art Center, at the age of 15. After two and a half years at the Minneapolis School of Art, he was frustrated with the school’s inability to teach him anything of practical value. In 1949, he went to New York to seek better instruction and was eventually led to the private atelier of Boston artist, R.H. Ives Gammell. Mr. Lack studied with Gammell for five years, from 1950-1955, whilst simultaneously supporting himself by sales and commissions, and teaching at the Vesper George School of Art. After returning to Minnesota, he taught and authored curriculum at Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis.
In 1969, Mr. Lack founded Atelier Lack and taught there for 23 years. During this time, he taught 85 full time students who completed their training, many of whom would go on to paint and teach the tradition of fine picture making to the next generation of eager students. In 1982, Mr. Lack used the term “Classical Realism” in the title of an exhibition of work by himself and R.H. Ives Gammell, and their students. It was his attempt to differentiate the work of artists within the Boston tradition from that of artists working in other traditions of representational painting. Passing away in 2009, Mr. Lack is today widely regarded as an exceptional artist, teacher, writer, and one of the founders of the contemporary atelier movement.
Mr. Lack's former school's website (The Atelier: Studio Program of Fine Art): www.theatelier.org
Born into the Great Depression, Mr. Lack spent his life pursuing the painting methods of the Renaissance and 19th century masters. Showing promising drawing ability in his primary school years, Mr. Lack began drawing from life in classes held at the Walker Art Center, at the age of 15. After two and a half years at the Minneapolis School of Art, he was frustrated with the school’s inability to teach him anything of practical value. In 1949, he went to New York to seek better instruction and was eventually led to the private atelier of Boston artist, R.H. Ives Gammell. Mr. Lack studied with Gammell for five years, from 1950-1955, whilst simultaneously supporting himself by sales and commissions, and teaching at the Vesper George School of Art. After returning to Minnesota, he taught and authored curriculum at Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis.
In 1969, Mr. Lack founded Atelier Lack and taught there for 23 years. During this time, he taught 85 full time students who completed their training, many of whom would go on to paint and teach the tradition of fine picture making to the next generation of eager students. In 1982, Mr. Lack used the term “Classical Realism” in the title of an exhibition of work by himself and R.H. Ives Gammell, and their students. It was his attempt to differentiate the work of artists within the Boston tradition from that of artists working in other traditions of representational painting. Passing away in 2009, Mr. Lack is today widely regarded as an exceptional artist, teacher, writer, and one of the founders of the contemporary atelier movement.
Mr. Lack's former school's website (The Atelier: Studio Program of Fine Art): www.theatelier.org