Ronald Dorsten
Ron Dorsten is a contemporary artist working at the crossroads of portraiture, sculpture, and pop iconography. His signature process, meticulously assembling hundreds of hand-painted objects to create dimensional portraits rich in texture, movement, and intensity, transforms familiar materials into striking visual statements. Each piece is built object by object, using physical depth and color to shape contrast, shadow, and form.
From a distance, cultural icons emerge, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Bobby Fischer. Up close, the clarity of the figure dissolves, overtaken by the texture and detail of the materials themselves: miniature chess pieces, clothespins, and other everyday objects arranged with exacting detail. The viewer is drawn into the structure, where repetition and form take over. The shift is from object to image, an assembly of raw parts that morph into something instantly recognizable.
Recurring themes in Ron’s work include transformation, duality, and the mythology of fame, the way cultural figures are shaped, elevated, and sometimes distorted by public narrative. His latest piece, At Last explores the arc of Etta James’s career, her power, vulnerability, and the tension between public recognition and personal struggle. Greatest Match: Spassky vs. Fischer captures the intensity and symbolism of the legendary 1972 World Chess Championship, often called the greatest chess match of all time.
Blending craftsmanship with cultural commentary, Ron challenges the flatness of traditional portraiture. His art invites viewers to engage from multiple vantage points, both visual and conceptual, and to consider not just who we see, but how we see them.
Ron lives in Chicago’s North Shore suburbs with his wife and two daughters. Trained as an engineer and a former C-level executive in the restaurant industry, he spends his summers collecting art at local fairs and on the hunt for hidden murals and standout graffiti across the city.
Email: rdorsten@comcast.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rdorsten2025/