University of Miami alumnus Runcie Tatnall’s newest boxing paintings will be on display at Fight Club at 120 NE 20th Street in the Wynwood Art District of Miami during Art Basel Miami, which will be held from December 1 to December 4.
The name of the show is “In The Ring, A Collection of Boxing Paintings by Runcie Tatnall.” The opening will take place on Thursday evening, December 1st from 8:00 p.m. to midnight.
Stylistically, Tatnall’s pictures are reminiscent of artists who impart a sense of reality beyond the surface in their pictures, such as Robert Henri and the Ashcan School, George Bellows, John Singer Sargent, and Lucien Freud. Jonathan Thomas, professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art described Tatnall’s paintings as “keenly observant, expressive and raw… [capturing] a strangeness of moment, a curious awkwardness, and a dark humor that emanates through Americana.”
Tatnall uses layers of paint vigorously applied with minimal manipulation to convey the immediacy of life, and a greater realism. He take deliberate risks with illusionistic representation and incorporates impulsive paint application, “unfinished” areas, and distortion of the figure.
Sandro Flores, owner of Fight Club, said: “Runcie captures on canvas what seems to have sound, movement, light and expression, as if you were ringside. It is truly an honor to host Runcie Tatnall's work at Fight Club.”
Originally from Newark, Delaware, Tatnall practiced painting and drawing from an early age. After receiving a degree in illustration from the University of Delaware in 1995, Tatnall lived in Washington, D.C., working as an exhibiting artist, portrait painter, and caricature artist. In 1999, Tatnall moved to Brooklyn, where he continued to work as an exhibiting artist, as well as a muralist and teacher.
Tatnall received an MFA degree in painting from the University of Miami in 2009 under the tutelage of the late Darby Bannard, renowned artist of the Color Field movement. Tatnall moved back to Miami this past fall to paint full-time after six years as assistant professor of art at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Tatnall has been exhibiting nationally since 1995 in cities including Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Houston. His portraits, landscapes, and still lifes are part of collections throughout the United States.
Fight Club is located in the heart of Miami in the Wynwood Art District. The mission of Fight Club is to help patrons achieve their fitness goals and sustain personal and mental health. Runcie Tatnall’s passionate paintings embody the mantra of Fight Club: Train Hard, Fight Harder.
