Chris Ventolieri
Art History
Laural Seban
May 8th, 2018
Art History Paper: Stephen Kaltenbach’s Portait of My Father
The painting I chose to make as the subject of my essay is Portrait of My Father by Stephen
Kaltenbach, dated 1972-79. This painting is fascinating to me both in its composition and the
emotion-evoking way it has. Stephen Kaltenbach spent seven years on this work, a huge
commitment, but it was to convey a message if you will. I believe the message, or theme, he is
sending to the viewer is one of immense love for his father, dedication and inherently one of
individuality.
I’d like to give a brief background on the artist so as to understand the painting better and
set the stage, so to speak. Stephen Kaltenbach was born in 1940 in Battle Creek, Missouri. He
began dabbling in art in the 60’s and quickly became popular among the New York City avant-
