Figure Sketches by Jean and Paul Ulen

Nationality: American
Born/Died: Jean: 1900-1988, Paul: 1894-1976

Media: Graphite on paper
Location: The Cleveland Artists Foundation, Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Jean and Paul Ulen were also artists from the Cleveland area who are hardly well known today. Their drawings were incredibly sensitive and their standards have certainly influenced my studio practice.

I believe that the most common criticism of their work was that they were merely technically skilled and lacked a unique artistic style. I would agree with this criticism to some extent, but many of their "figure studies" included many interesting and subtle stylistic decisions. I consider myself lucky to have had the privilege to catalog and photograph their work for the Cleveland Artists Foundation's archives. Below are some of my photographs of their work.


The Ulen's had a posthumous exhibition of drawings at the Cleveland Artists Foundation (2005?--before I worked there) and I was fortunate enough to see it several times. It was given a corny title--Drawn to Perfection--but it was a fantastic exhibition. There is a catalog available (called Drawn to Perfection: Jean and Paul Ulen and the Slade School Legacy in Cleveland), but unfortunately it has poor quality images and the pictures chosen for it were not the best works in the show. Still, if you like these it may be worth your while to look into. I hope that someday another gallery has a similar exhibition and puts out a better catalog.

This is the kind of work that I would snatch up if I saw it for sale. They are not that well known so their prices shouldn't be too high but the work is good quality.

























This drawing has a wonderful visual energy in regard's to it's pose.