On-Line Catalog
Ben Long
Commissioned Portrait
6" x 8" Drawing
For the Doors of Asheville, Long is offering a small commissioned portrait to be drawn exclusively from life. A three hour sitting required. The portrait to the right is a sample.
“The Human form has always been the most profound expression for the artist….”
Benjamin F. Long, IV
Ben Long’s artistic career began with early inspiration from his Grandfather, noted artist McKendree Robbins Long, who had studied under Philippe de Lazlo the court painter to the King of England. His early passion for the human form continued with a life-long search for kindred spirits in America and Europe. As a young man he moved to New York to study at the Arts Student League. Later in Italy he was apprenticed to internationally renowned Maestro Pietro Annigoni. It was during his 10 years under Annigoni that he learned the art of fresco. Long was awarded the first International Leonardo da Vinci Award, as well receiving the honor of the only fresco commission by a non-Italian at the Abbey of Montecassino. In addition to his prolific fresco work, Long is an accomplished figurative painter and draftsman who is greatly influenced by Titian, Velasquez, and Rembrandt. Long’s drawings and paintings capture each beautiful line of the human form. Regardless of the medium, Long will only draw and paint from life, striving to capture the essence of the sitter. His portraits require a time commitment by the sitter and surpass the creation of a likeness; they elevate the portrait to fine art.
Long has exhibited works in the Royal Academy and the Royal Portrait Society (London, UK). His works are in significant collections in Florence, London, Paris, and throughout the United States. In 2001, Long was awarded the Arthur Ross Award for Excellence in the Classical Tradition (Classical America, New York, New York) by Philippe de Montebello, the longest-serving Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the presentation of this coveted award, Mr. de Montebello referred to Long as “the greatest draftsman of the 20th Century”. In 2002, Long received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Mr. Long is included in the Art Renewal Center's trademarkedlist of "Living Masters". The artist now divides his time between his homes in Tuscany and the Carolinas where he takes selective oil and drawing portrait commissions.
