50 Artists Magazine January/February 2020
Nathalie
Kalbach
STRENGTH
OF PRESENCEFor the acrylic painting
Standing Strong (left),
artist Nathalie Kalbach
(nathaliesstudio.com)
steered away from con-
ventional representation.
“I don’t strive for realism
in my paintings,” says
Kalbach. “I paint what
I see in a nonliteral sense
at a specific moment.” She
also notes, however, “With
its ornamented terracotta
tile façade and many win-
dows and décor elements,
it’s really hard not to try to
depict the details.”
Resisting the minutiae
got easier for Kalbach when
she reminded herself that
the most impactful part
of the Flatiron Building is
its overall shape. Once she
had that imposing wedge-
shaped form firmly fixed
in her mind, she was able
to let everything else go,
resulting in an inviting
energy and whimsy. The
painting is part kaleido-
scopic skyscape and part
bejeweled cityscape,
with bright yellow high-
lights gilding the Flatiron
Building and glinting in the
windows of the structures
surrounding it.
Kalbach, who currently
calls New York City home,
has the prerogative of view-
ing the Flatiron Building
year-round at any time of
day and from multiple van-
tage points, yet the artist’s
appreciation for the land-
mark hasn’t waned. “It still
amazes me as it did the first
time I saw it.”Standing Strong
by Nathalie Kalbach
acrylic paint, spray
paint and markers on
canvas, 16x12“I don’t strive for realism in my paintings.
I paint what I see in a nonliteral sense
at a specific moment.”
NATHALIE KALBACH