CHARLES PFAHL (1946-2013)
Born in 1946 in Akron, Ohio, Charles Pfahl began his art studies at age 12. His first teacher was Jack Richard, a portrait painter whose work had been influenced by Robert Brackman, a New York artist and instructor at The Art Students League. Throughout his early teens, Charles spent summers in Connecticut attending Brackman’s classes where he learned to see and appreciate color. In 1969, he moved to New York, as he had been invited to teach at The Art Students League. Earlier he had unable to accept their offer of a scholarship as he had been drafted into the Army. Charles soon met the well-known realist painter John Koch who became a lifelong friend and mentor. Koch was his inspiration for mastering the use of light as well as color in his work.Pfahl’s work reflected a deep respect for classical traditions while weaving in contemporary themes that spoke to the complexities of modern life. He often depicted fraught and vexed allegories, drawing inspiration from Christian symbolism as well as Native American mythology.
“For many years, it has been my desire to paint images that evoke strong emotional feelings—no matter how disturbing they may be,” Pfahl once said.
His compositions, often filled with tattered dolls, animal skulls, fish skeletons, and richly textured vintage fabrics, evoke a haunting beauty. While the imagery spoke of decay and transience, Pfahl maintained that his true subjects were always color and light. Caravaggio’s dramatic use of chiaroscuro deeply influenced his practice, and Pfahl’s work carries forward this tradition with a distinctively modern sensitivity and masterful precision..
