January 29, 2022

Ron Kleemann is a photorealist painter. He was born on July 24, 1937, in Bay City, Michigan. Kleemann graduated in 1961 with his BFA from the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Michigan. He then moved to New York City to work as an artist. At first, his primary medium was sculpture, “but he soon became more interested in painting.” Kleemann became known as a photorealist artist after he was represented by the Louis K. Meisel gallery in SoHo in the early 1970s. Major museums own his work, including the Guggenheim and MoMA in New York, and his art is often featured in group and solo shows all over the world. Art allowed Kleemann to travel throughout America and Europe, and he would photograph new subjects to paint wherever he went.

Kleemann is known for his highly realistic work. He has painted many eye-catching subjects, such as race cars, fire engines, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons, and airplanes. In his work 1979 Gas Line, Kleemann composes an image of a gas line at Hess Gasoline, a station that was primarily located on the east coast. He enhances the typically mundane activity of waiting in a long line for gas. One of the ways he achieves this is through his use of vibrant colors. The line consists of bright yellow taxis and blue cars, perhaps in reference to the colors of the University of Michigan. Kleemann incorporates lighter shades of yellow on the hood and roof of the taxi in the foreground, further emphasizing the colors and creating the appearance of a freshly waxed car. This detail also speaks to Kleemann’s love of shiny objects. Another way he adds more excitement to this task is through is use of perspective. One of the taxis is pushed up to the frontal plane, and the back of the car does not completely fit in the composition. This suggests that the gas line continues outside of the work. To add, the placement of this taxi is reminiscent of how Baroque subjects were often situated close to the picture plane, with some parts of the subject expanding outside of the work.

While the cars appear to be the stars of the show, there are some figures scattered between the vehicles: some may be drivers while others may be gas station attendants. Most of the figures are dressed in neutral tones, but there are two figures wearing red to the right of the image. The figure in red in the background may be a manager for Hess Gasoline who is directing the traffic. The second figure in red, who is a bit closer to the middle ground, seems to be holding up a camera to take a photograph of her own. Perhaps this figure was photographing Kleemann as he was taking his reference photo for Gas Line. This figure may be someone he knew, or simply a stranger who shared his passion for art.

Written by Angela Athnasios

Source: Ron Kleemann Obituary, ronkleemann.net

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