Visual Artist – David Kassan ✔Certified
Portrait of My Mom, Roberta (2010) Skill Mastery 🟨: 88%
David Kassan’s “Portrait of My Mom, Roberta” (2010) is a life-size oil on panel portrait submitted to the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the National Portrait Gallery. The work employs his signature hyperrealist technique with transparent oil layers building luminous flesh tones against abstract backgrounds, created as a meditative way to “spend more time” with his mother who lived in Florida while he worked in Brooklyn.
Here’s how this rating breaks down using the Consistent Multi-Criteria Rubric method:
Technical Skill and Execution (25% of total score): 10/10 = 2.50 points Flawless mastery of oil glazing technique with exceptional control of transparent layers. Luminous, lifelike flesh tones that demonstrate complete command of the medium.
Composition and Design (25% of total score): 8/10 = 2.00 points Strong portrait composition with effective abstract background. Eye-level perspective creates intimacy while maintaining balance.
Originality and Creativity (20% of total score): 8/10 = 1.60 points Transforms portraiture into therapeutic meditation, using painting to “spend time” with distant family.
Color Use and Harmony (15% of total score): 9/10 = 1.35 points Masterful naturalistic palette with subtle flesh tone variations showing deep understanding of color temperature and light. Background elements enhance without competing.
Emotional Impact and Expression (15% of total score): 9/10 = 1.35 points Deeply personal work capturing both likeness and emotional essence. Direct gaze creates powerful intimacy.
Total: 88%
The high score reflects exceptional technical execution demonstrating Kassan’s complete mastery of hyperrealist oil painting techniques, with the personal subject matter serving to showcase rather than overshadow his remarkable skill with the medium.
