David Stanger: September 2020
David Stanger is a realist painter known for his contemplative portraits and interiors that often have a symbolic or allegorical character. Simultaneously painted with a deep knowledge of old- master technique and approached in a contemporary manner, Stanger’s work reflects various influences, most significantly the works of Vermeer, Hammershoi, and Lopez Garcia. Family and friends appear frequently in his work and many scenes are set at his studio and home in Pittsburgh. Though his work begins with observations gleaned from daily life, the paintings evolve to embody deeper, dreamlike qualities, where fiction and reality are intertwined. Stanger’s work was recently featured in the BP Portrait Award 2017, a traveling exhibition of contemporary portraiture that debuted at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. His work has been exhibited regionally and nationally at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Mattress Factory, the Butler Institute of American Art and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, as well as Winfield Gallery, Manifest Gallery and the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Stanger’s work can be found in many private collections and is most notably in the collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art. Stanger received a BFA in painting from Syracuse University, studied painting and renaissance art history in Florence, Italy and earned an MFA from the Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art. He is currently an Associate Professor of Painting at Seton Hill University.
