Scenes of Figurative Narration

Joseph Sheppard, renowned for his work with the figure, has produced countless compositions over the course of his long career. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he studied at what is now MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) with Jacque Maroger, who had been a technical director of the Louvre. Sheppard later returned to MICA to teach painting, anatomy, and life drawing for 15 years. His commitment to realism, demonstrated in his attention to detail and passion for representing the human form, has resulted in works across a range of subject matter and human experiences.

In addition to the works in this exhibition, the Leroy Merritt Center for the Art of Joseph Sheppard also features about a dozen of his drawings focused on his portrayals of faces. These can be seen in the Leroy Merritt Center’s Patricia K. and Michael J. Batza Jr. Study Center. Numerous examples of Sheppard’s sculptural works—including studies for two monuments, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden—are also on view.