Christiane Flers Shertz
Torrance, California
I have painted with my husband/artist Max Shertz all my life and am showing my art publicly for the first time although I did sell paintings from my studio
MessageI was born in 1945 in Trouville-Sur-Mer, a charming little town on the Normandy coast, once the refuge of the Impressionists in the late 1800’s. My family moved to Paris when I was a young child and in my early 20’s, after a sojourn of one year in England, I settled in the Montparnasse quarter, favored then by artists and writers. As a student at the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts, I exhibited at the American Center on the left bank where I met Man Ray, the well-known artist and photographer. Swept into the spirit of the students’ revolution in 1968 in Paris, I decided to move to California to experience the cultural revolution of the 60’s in San Francisco.
Three years later, in 1971, I met the artist who would change my life, Max Shertz. I moved with Max and his family in a beautiful Victorian house with the view of the San Francisco Bay, on Union and Fillmore, in San Francisco. The next 17 years, I would study with Max, being his apprentice, muse, and finally his wife in 1990.
My studying with Max led me to be his companion in art, painting with him in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and in France. During our life time together, I supported my teacher/husband/artist, doing so by working at a regular job, meeting my family obligations, doing my art, and assisting Max with his various projects.
My supporting Max Shertz was not a blind choice. The genius of Max Shertz, which demonstrated itself, particularly starting in the 90’s with his abstract works of the unconscious, was worth what I considered “paying my dues.” I was sacrificing nothing. I had the very best teacher and the very best audience for my art. When it came to his art, Max was a tower of strength, discipline and control, associated with his passion and spirit which were grandiose. As a teacher, Max had high expectations but was also extremely supportive and inspirational.
Through the 38 years I spent with Max, I discovered that Art was a universal language, a vehicle of communication on a visual level, and Max was a magnificent communicator, not only visually with his art, but with words, captivating his audience with his mastery of the English language. his humor and wit incredibly rich and warm. And as Arianna Huffington [The Huffington Post and author of many books], then Arianna Stassinopoulos, said, when she met Max in 1984, “Max is a contemporary combination of Hermes and Zeus.”
With regard to my art, I was too involved supporting my family and assisting my teacher/husband to show my art, although I did sell some art from my home to individuals, and also being my husband's caregiver the last few years of his life. Now being retired I, for the first time, is showing my all of my art publicly.
It was a privilege to have known and worked with Max Shertz. Like all Greats, he could be infuriating but was so . . . “extraordinaire”.
An extended biography of Max Shertz can be viewed on www.maxshertz.com
Completely devoted to my husband and his work, I rarely exhibited during his life time, selling mostly my work privately from my studio. In 2009 I returned to painting, having stopped doing my art from 2005 to 2009, during the last years of Max’ illness.
My work is expressionist, figuratively and abstract. I create works of art spontaneously with no pre-conceived ideas, “automatically” much like my teacher taught me.
I reside in Los Angeles and sign my paintings {CFS} and paintings from other years are signed Christiane Flers Shertz, Christiane Shertz and Christiane Flers.
I have works at Mt Zion Hospital, some private collectors and exhibited works at the inauguration of the Healing Art Center in Newtown Connecticut in 2013.
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Statement
CHRISTIANE FLERS SHERTZ
ARTIST STATEMENT
Wonderful art will stand the test of time. I am not saying, far from it, that I created great art, I am just saying that it does not matter if you show your work when you are 30 or 78, as I am, because the art will speak for itself. So I am not concerned about showing my work at the age of 78 so publicly when I showed very little of it beforehand. Because at my age I have nothing to lose. You will like my like work or you won’t. What matters is that I had great joy creating art. I had the great privilege to further my art experience, studying with the artist Max Shertz, having met him in San Francisco in 1971, and moving with him and his family three weeks later. I became his student, his companion in art, an artist myself, and later on in 1990 became his wife.
I have always created my art spontaneously. I have no pre-conceived idea of what I am going to draw or paint. I never planned anything and I believe my work is of the psyche. However, in 1992 up to 1997, I created only abstract pieces, following on Max’ new process, creating what he called “works of the Unconscious,” abstracts which are full of symbolic images, all images connecting to one another and to the whole of the painting. Any of those abstract works could make hundreds of paintings of their own as every inch of the painting is a painting by itself, it is like everything in the work of art with such process emanates from the center, and expands in multi forms, shapes symbols, to infinity.
I have not shown my work very much during the last decades as I have had family obligations and work obligations, also supporting my husband Max and caring for him as he became sick in the last years of his life. Now relieved of all those obligations I am showing my art in public. I have learnt from painting with Max that art is a visual communication and should be something we can relate to, emotionally, intellectually or otherwise and that art should be alive, not static. In fine art there are some basic principles. One’s art should be recognized because it has the imprint of the artist, and should be unique, as his/her own fingerprint is unique. Artists should never repeat themselves – all of their art work should have its own uniqueness, not a version of the last piece they created because such piece was popular and sold well. I do understand that artists also have to survive and make money but unfortunately I feel that most of them compromise and don’t stay true to themselves so that they can be accepted and go with the “status quo.” As to my husband/artist, Max, he never compromised and I do not either. Maybe my art will be appreciated or maybe not, maybe my art is not “trendy” but I don’t go for trends.
All works of art subject to copyright - All pieces signed differently as: Christiane Flers Shertz, C. Flers Shertz, C. Flers, C. Shertz, C. F. Shertz - pieces sold will also be signed on the back: C. Flers Shertz (if necessary)
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