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Christopher Ulrich -
In 1999, Christopher Ulrich was
new to Los Angeles. He was a young artist living alone in a tiny
one bedroom apartment in a rough section of Boyle Heights. From
his window you could see into the local diner across the street,
and from the diner you could catch a glimpse into Ulrich's bedroom.
Clearly visible in his window was a woman, or sometimes women,
plural
stoic, posed
practically gliding past the window
when they moved. Strangely, no one ever saw the women enter or
leave the apartment building with Christopher. That's when the
stories began.
Patrons of the diner began to talk about the apartment's odd
inhabitant, and speculated about his nighttime activities. He
became a sort of local fascination as the regulars tried to unravel
the mystery. Was he a serial killer? A pimp? A leader of some
tiny suicide cult? The tales only became weirder until one day,
while Christopher was having lunch in the diner, one of the regulars
finally summoned the courage to ask him: "What's the deal
with all them ladies you got up there?" "Ladies?"
Christopher was confused at first, and the local pointed towards
his window. "Look! Like her, there, right now. I've seen
you talking to her, too. But she's just sitting there, staring
at the wall. Is she on drugs or something?" And then he
understood. "Oh, nooo! Those are my mannequins. I live with
two of them and I have to keep moving them around so they get
the right light. I need them for my work and they're better than
a living person sometimes." From that day forward the regulars
left a few empty seats between themselves and this burgeoning
artist.
But those mannequins played a vital role in Christopher Ulrich's
artistic development. He was struggling at the time, working
as a security guard at the Norton Simon Museum, and painting
in his apartment at night. The museum job provided education
and inspiration as he was surrounded by work from Goya, Rembrandt,
Botticelli, Picasso, and Degas. At home, he worked tirelessly
perfecting his technique. This exhibit of mannequin studies represents
the building blocks of Ulrich's abilities. They illustrate his
experimentations with lighting, composition, figure drawing,
and color. Unable to afford sitting fees for live models, he
used what was available to him so he could keep progressing to
develop his talent.
Uncovered during a recent studio move, I saw these paintings
and asked Christopher if we could exhibit them. I think it's
important for artists and other art lovers to see the work from
an early stage such as this, where technique and vision starts
to solidly come together. These are not commercial pieces; it
is simply work for the sake of the work. Never before shown,
these paintings are the roots of a truly great artist. |
Original Artwork For Sale
(click image for larger picture):
"Mannequin #1"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00
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"Mannequin #2"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00
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"Mannequin #3"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00
|
"Mannequin #4"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00
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"Mannequin #5"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00
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"Mannequin #6"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00
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"Mannequin #7"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00
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"Mannequin #8"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00
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"Mannequin #9"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$400.00
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"Mannequin #10"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$300.00
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"Mannequin #11"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$300.00
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"Mannequin #12"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$250.00
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"Mannequin #13"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$250.00
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to see Artwork from this Artist that has previously been Sold
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