RICHARD J. MURDOCK

Richard Murdock was born and raised in Massachusetts. He studied painting at the Pratt Institute in NY. Murdock’s further art studies followed the atelier system.

Richard Murdock’s paintings are about discovery. At first glance, you notice clearly interpreted and simple, elegant compositions. As you draw closer, Murdock’s stirring paintings come alive with startling contrast and remind us of the theatrical chiaroscuro of Carravaggio and the exquisite detail of the Dutch Masters.

Such an approach increases the sense of drama, tension and grandeur and reflects Baroque principles and the influence of Georges de la Tour.

The emotional impact is the focus of his work. His works are not merely the documentation of a given subject, but resonate with a deeper significance.

His unconventional use of oil on copper has become his signature medium, which bests suits his expression, offering greater control over color as the pigments in the oil do not fade when applied to a copper surface.

Over the years, Murdock has honed his technical skill and adapted the principles gleaned from the Old Masters, resulting in a poetic vision that speaks of the past yet is unequivocally his own.

“I have no problem delving into the art of the past with a vengeance since I cannot escape my time,” says Murdock.

“No matter how much an artist strives for eternal verity or blinkered modernity, he or she will always be of a moment.

So, like my predecessors, I filter nature, something common to all humanity part and present, through my unique perspective – that of a living contemporary thinker and painter.”

Like Ruskin, Murdock looks for the small beauties of nature as well as the simple truths found in the natural world under close observation.

Note from Richard: "I'm that guy who taught himself to paint. You know, the one all the art teachers warned you about."