Philip Frey

Book excerpt: Daniel Kany, art critic for the Portland Press Herald, writes that "Frey's art occupies the nexus between contemporary painting and brushy traditionalism. If there is a focus to this new direction in Maine painting, his art is it." Author of a number of books on Maine art and artists, Carl Little explores art-historical influences on Frey from the Fauvists and Matisse to Rockwell Kent and Howard Hodgkin, and traces the history of landscape painting in Maine, revealing how Frey's bold colors and dynamic brushwork set him apart. "His palette is strong and fresh, his approach painterly in a manner akin to Fairfield Porter and other devoted plein air painters," writes Little. Beautiful reproductions of Frey's portraits of Maine provide eloquent testimony of Frey's vibrant originality.