Joe Fig, an artist currently active in the New York art world, lives and works in upstate Connecticut. For the last ten years the subject of his art has been the creation of a body of work that stands as homage to the heroes of the New York School, those artists who brought American art to worldwide prominence after World War II. He has recreated the studios of Pollock and de Kooning in paintings and sculptures and has moved beyond the first generation to pay similar tribute to the Pop Art painters, notable American figurative painters and his own contemporaries. Fig has chronicled his research on studio interiors and working practices in two books, Inside the Painter's Studio, 2009 and Inside the Artist's Studio, 2015. Ronnie and John E. Shore are among his most devoted collectors as can be seen on this page in their website. Although the Shore Collection is not restricted to American artists, neither is Fig whose recent works have included tributes to French artists of the last quarter of the 19th century and the birth of modernism.
   

Joe Fig: Paintings about films about artists
Films about artists inspired this series of works. It came about by Joe Fig's continued interest in the creative process of artists, art history and the myth of the artist. His previous work explored the real lives of successful artists and questioned the myth of the lone, struggling, misunderstood artist-genius. He became curious as to where this myth came from and how has it been propagated. He believe such early films as Rembrandt (1936), Lust for Life (1956) and Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) though part in truth, overly dramatized the struggles of the artist. This series is divided up into the storyline most common in these films: Relationships, Muse, Critique, Inspiration, Analytical Art Discussion, At Work, and Tragedy. These are some of the key moments in the dramatic portrayal of artists lives.

Joe Fig: Drawings of Artists Working
Drawings of artists working in their studios

“This series of drawings called ‘Inside the Artist's Studio’ depicts 24 leading contemporary artists in moments of contemplation or absorbed in their work. Those contemplative moments where it seems nothing is happening are often the times when an artist is working the hardest. Concurrently, when an artist is hard at work they often become so focused that they lose track of time or space. Pared down to the basics: a number 2 pencil and watercolor paper, I got focused on the sensitivity and quality of line as well as how the forms sat on the page. The empty space becoming as important as the drawn line. In the end they became the by-product of my own contemplative and focused moment and a joy to create.” Joe Fig   June 27, 2016.