Mario Andres Robinson was born in Altus, Oklahoma, where he resided with his family before relocating to New Jersey at the age of twelve. His artistic gift was discovered by a fifth grade teacher and a creative explosion was sparked in the pre-teen. Robinson studied at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Early in his development, Mario began looking to the great masters for inspiration and technical insight. An avid student of realism, he studied the elemental principles of painting by exploring the work and technique of Old Masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Degas. However, it was the work of 19th and 20th century American artists that provided Robinson with the strongest stylistic foundation, helping him forge and define his own artistic sensibility.
The work of Mario Andres Robinson fits squarely within the tradition of American painting. Robinsons finished works bear a close affinity to the masters of the realist tradition, Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins. Containing few references to modern life, Robinson's work has a timeless and universal quality, and exhibits a distinct turn-of-the-century stylistic aesthetic. The images he chooses, which refer to a bygone era where solitude and reflection were abundant, also provoke frequent allusions to the paintings of Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper.
Beginning in 1994, Robinson's work began to extensively incorporate rural subjects primarily located in the state of Alabama. Each subject is very personal for the artist in both selection and execution. As the work progresses, his relationship with the sitter develops and a uniquely personal story begins to evolve. Robinson frequently depicts subjects framed within the context of their daily lives. The underlying narrative counters sentimentality and serves as the underpinning for his figurative images.
Robinson is the author of Lessons in Realistic Watercolor (Monacelli Press), distributed by Penguin Random House.
Mario Andres Robinson is an Exhibiting Artist Member (EAM) of The National Arts Club, an Artist Member of The Salmagundi Club and a Signature Member of The Pastel Society of America. His work has been featured several times in The Artist's Magazine, The Pastel Journal, Watercolor Magic, American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur and on the cover of American Artist magazine. In the February, 2006 issue of The Artist's Magazine, Mario was selected as one of the top 20 realist artists under the age of 40.
Robinson's work is widely collected by private and public collectors.
2011 Solo Exhibition, Recent Work, Ann Long Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2007 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings, Ann Long Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2006 Solo Exhibition, Portraits of the South, Ann Long Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2005 Solo Exhibition, Ann Long Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2004 Solo Exhibition, Ann Long Fine Art, Charleston, SC
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2012 The Portrait in American Realism, Haynes Galleries, Thomaston, ME
2012 Artists for the New Century, The Bennington, Bennington, VT
2012 From What I Remember…, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA
2011 American Paintings Auction, Sotheby’s, New York, NY
2011 Stories that Breathe, Morton Fine Art, Washington, DC
2011 Mixing Metaphors, The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, GA
2011 Art in Embassies, U.S. Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia
2011 One Hundred Years of African American Art, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH
2010 Summer Sweets, Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, New York, NY
2010 Hard Times, Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT
2010 Two Hundred Years of the African American Experience in Art: The Arthur Primas Collection, Irving Arts Center, Irving, TX
2007 Works on Paper Extravaganza, Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2007 The Annual Exhibiting Artist Members Show, The National Arts Club, NY, NY
2006 Pastel Society of America Annual Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
2004 National Drawing Invitational, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR
Education:
Pratt Institute, BFA
Selected Publications:
L Art de l Aquarelle Magazine, Faces with a Story to Tell, September/November 2012
American Art Collector, Leaving Home, April 2011
Poets and Artists, March/April, 2010
Portrait Highlights, Fall 2010
Watercolor Artist Magazine (The Artists Magazine), A Day in the Life of the Artist, April 2010
Watercolor Magazine (American Artist Magazine), Drybrush, Drawing and Watercolor, September 2009
Portrait Highlights, Crosshatching Pastels for Effect, January 2007
Fine Art Connoisseur, Artists Making Their Mark: Three to Watch, Fine Art Connoisseur, December 2007
American Art Collector, Portraits that Resonate with Emotion, October 2006
Watercolor Magic, Voice of the People, June 2006
The Artists Magazine, 20 Under 40, February 2006
The Pastel Journal, August 2005
American Artist, Method and Meaning, July 2004
The Artists Magazine, Weaving a Likeness, February 2001
Affiliations:
National Arts Club, New York, NY
Pastel Society of America, New York, NY
Art Renewal Center Living Master
Public Collections
Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR
Bank of America
