Michener Art Museum

Charles Wells


Photograph of Charles Wells, "Bucks County: Artists Three", James A. Michener Art Museum library and archives
PRINTMAKER, SCULPTOR
BORN: December 24, 1935, New York, New York

Printmaker and sculptor Charles Wells is as well-known for his sculptures as his etchings. After studying as an apprentice with the master printmaker and sculptor Leonard Baskin, two fellowships allowed him to work alongside the great carvers in Italy. Wells' sculpture has evolved over a 30-year period from stone heads, torsos, and figures, to large-scale wooden pieces, to a synthesis of the two, combining warm woods like cherry with the cool of white marble. His austere angel-like figures often appear to be emerging from their folded wings, unlike earlier crouching or recumbent figures. Wells' favorite medium is stone, finding it easier to carve than wood, although he takes pleasure in working with local hardwoods.
Incised lines often appear on his sculpture, and this fascination with the depiction of lines carries over into his etchings. Characterized by asymmetrical faces and lighting reminiscent of Rembrandt, his etchings are most often portraits. Wells has exhibited widely in the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collections of MIT, the Library of Congress, the National Portrait Gallery, the Whitney Museum, and Nelson Rockefeller.