OriginalArtBroker
Bill Mack - World's Preeminent Relief Sculptor
www.originalartbroker.com/blog/artwork/original_art/bill-...
Bill Mack has been able to achieve a rare phenomenon for an artist: His artwork is highly regarded by art critics while simultaneously being extremely popular by art collectors. The key to his rare success is his ability to pioneer new art techniques while using a popular subject matter.
The most important component of Bill Mack’s work is its uniqueness. While his work if often referred to as bas-relief, that description falls short to describe Mack’s work. Bas-relief is a technique that refers to low relief sculpture, but Mack’s work includes subjects that are more fully revealed. The artist combines three dimensional and two dimensional elements. His relief includes portions of fully rounded sculpted components that extend from the two dimensional frame by combining multiple levels of relief. This unique technique is called “Alto Relief.” This technique has historic roots and can be seen in examples of ancient Greek and Roman art. In the modern world; however, Bill Mack stands alone in the resurgence of Alto Relief.
While Bill Mack’s unique Alto Relief technique has created widespread critical acclaim for his work, his highly popular subject matter has created even greater popularity among art collectors. His subject matter is easy to relate to, his beautiful nudes, iconic celebrities, and sports images are all the type of artwork that collectors seek out most frequently. Mack’s mastery of the human form and ability to capture complex human emotions sets him apart in the world of figure art.
Bill Mack was born in Minneapolis where he still resides. In high school, he began selling oil portraits at his high school and found his first taste of commercial success. At the age of 17, he was working for a company that made bronze memorial plaques. Mack thought he could produce a more lifelike relief portrait than the artist at his company, and when he gave it a try his work was immediately accepted. After high school, Mack studied at the University of Minnesota majoring in journalism. He continued working as a freelance sculptor, and after college immediately launched a focused commercial art career. While many artists require years of work before their work gets the attention of critics and international audiences, Mack’s rise to fame happened quickly. Today, he exhibits his art across the world and has pieces in the collections of Elizabeth Taylor, President Clinton, President Reagan, and many other important global figures.
Bill Mack’s unique techniques and popular subject matter have made him one of the most successful contemporary artists in the world. He is a prolific art collector himself, and his experience has created a deep understanding of what is commercially and critically viable. Mack’s achievement of critical acclaim and commercial success is both rare and impressive, and those skills have directly helped him to become the most famous relief sculptor in the world.
Story by Bill Mack
Bill Mack - World's Preeminent Relief Sculptor
www.originalartbroker.com/blog/artwork/original_art/bill-...
Bill Mack has been able to achieve a rare phenomenon for an artist: His artwork is highly regarded by art critics while simultaneously being extremely popular by art collectors. The key to his rare success is his ability to pioneer new art techniques while using a popular subject matter.
The most important component of Bill Mack’s work is its uniqueness. While his work if often referred to as bas-relief, that description falls short to describe Mack’s work. Bas-relief is a technique that refers to low relief sculpture, but Mack’s work includes subjects that are more fully revealed. The artist combines three dimensional and two dimensional elements. His relief includes portions of fully rounded sculpted components that extend from the two dimensional frame by combining multiple levels of relief. This unique technique is called “Alto Relief.” This technique has historic roots and can be seen in examples of ancient Greek and Roman art. In the modern world; however, Bill Mack stands alone in the resurgence of Alto Relief.
While Bill Mack’s unique Alto Relief technique has created widespread critical acclaim for his work, his highly popular subject matter has created even greater popularity among art collectors. His subject matter is easy to relate to, his beautiful nudes, iconic celebrities, and sports images are all the type of artwork that collectors seek out most frequently. Mack’s mastery of the human form and ability to capture complex human emotions sets him apart in the world of figure art.
Bill Mack was born in Minneapolis where he still resides. In high school, he began selling oil portraits at his high school and found his first taste of commercial success. At the age of 17, he was working for a company that made bronze memorial plaques. Mack thought he could produce a more lifelike relief portrait than the artist at his company, and when he gave it a try his work was immediately accepted. After high school, Mack studied at the University of Minnesota majoring in journalism. He continued working as a freelance sculptor, and after college immediately launched a focused commercial art career. While many artists require years of work before their work gets the attention of critics and international audiences, Mack’s rise to fame happened quickly. Today, he exhibits his art across the world and has pieces in the collections of Elizabeth Taylor, President Clinton, President Reagan, and many other important global figures.
Bill Mack’s unique techniques and popular subject matter have made him one of the most successful contemporary artists in the world. He is a prolific art collector himself, and his experience has created a deep understanding of what is commercially and critically viable. Mack’s achievement of critical acclaim and commercial success is both rare and impressive, and those skills have directly helped him to become the most famous relief sculptor in the world.
Story by Bill Mack