Fantaci World Pageant Prince Beauty Winner and Master Photogenic, Beaumont, Texas, 1981
In Portraits 1979-1989 Leon Borensztein introduces us to slices of American life on its Californian frontier. He riffs on the dread family portrait, those awkward, over-staged records that make everyone but the sentimental instigator wince as they pass it, before the horror finds its was way from hall to dining room to attic. Borensztein
The subjects come across as approachable, every day and human-sized. You see worry, anxiety, love, warmth, humor – get a load of that outstanding picture above of the young beauty prince and try not to smile – and, given the nature of portraiture, a desire to be seen.
Mother with Baby Girl, San Pablo, California
Twin Sisters in Aviator Hats, Oakland, California, 1988
Parents with Five Children, Bakersfield, California, 1983
Boy with Picture of His Father, Fremont, California, 1979
Girl with New Lunch Box, Stockton, California, 1985
Brother’s with Painted Jackets, St. James, Minnesota, 1988
Man in Arm Chair, San Francisco, California, 1979
Toddler with Guitar, Merced, California, 1980
Man with Afro, San Francisco, California, 1984
American Indian, Pheonix, Arizona, 1986
Newlywed Couple, Madera, California, 1985
Farmer Couple, Woodland, California
Couple and Baby, Bakersfield, California
Father with Son, Bakersfield, California, 1983
Catch more of the artist’s wok at the excellent Foley Gallery. Buy American Portraits by Leon Borensztein here.
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