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Grady Harp wrote on 11/10/2010:

Mark Beard has developed a strong following of admirers, collectors, and museum placements and all of this success has been through his very astutely devised concept of channeling his talent through the fictional artists under whose name he creates. Perhaps at one point Beard wished to keep his secret of the identity of Bruce Sargeant, an artist from his genealogy whose dates are 1898 - 1938, but the beautifully executed paintings Beard attributes to his ancestor bloomed form his studio into public recognition and now are among the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Atheneum; the Whitney, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Princeton, Harvard, and Yale Universities; Graphische Sammlung, Munich and others. The paintings are of young healthy athletes in all manner of sport and "Sargeant's" technique has a raw, at times semi-finished brushwork look that makes them feel very spontaneous and very incidentally sensuous. The paintings are creating a 'posed' look, not unlike the very popular 1920-1940 images of men as created for magazine ads: these men are bathed in light that accentuates their muscular forms and their highly masculine presentation.

The technique of this extremely interesting and well-conceived and designed art book is one that would invite the reader into Mark Beard's imaginary world. A thorough history of Bruce Sargeant is given in photographs, magazine articles and even letters to his friend regarding his passion for his lover Yip. By the time the viewer reaches the plates of Sargeant's paintings the imaginary world Beard has created is wholly credible. And as if Beard's channeling through the imaginary Sargeant weren't enough, he also creates Bruce Sargeant's 'Circle of Friends' - his teacher, the flamboyant Hippolyte Alexandre Michallon (many will appreciate the names selected for this imaginary character!) who taught Sergeant in the tradition of the École des Beaux-Arts and whose paintings are also included here (proving that Beard can paint far more tightly than his Sergeant paintings); his friend Edith Thayer Cromwell whose minor paintings cling to the Modernist school; Brechtholdt Steeruwitz who painted in the German Expressionist manner, separating himself from the Beaux Art style he learned with Sargeant; and finally a contemporary Peter Coulter who was influenced by all of this circle and brought about paintings that are far more political and angry and infused with an African American imagery.

In one portion of the book there are pictures of each of these artists, and it is here that the 'truth' of the varying identities of these five artists is apparent: Mark Beard assumes the costumed identity of Sargeant, Michallon, Cromwell, Steeruwitz and Coulter - unveiling his various identities much the way an analyst would uncover the dissociative identities of a confused patient. Some readers may question the impetus for this fascinating collection of works by one excellent contemporary artist as a ploy for marketing attention. But there is no denying the beauty of these paintings or the skill and craftsmanship of the painter. Mark Beard has found a way to explore the influences on figurative painting - figure and form - and the journey he is taking simply adds more excitement and depth to his work. This book is remarkable on many levels and for those who have yet to discover the artistry of Mark Beard, this is a magnificent way to appreciate his talent. Grady Harp