artist statement

my work has no defined medium or boundries. my work is often my own interpretation of real world politics, and social issues. I strive to express opinion and provoke thought, using irony, humor and truth. i beleive that the modern artist must do more than dwell on realism. my paintings are paintings, not photographs. a painting must be viewed differently than a photograph. i view my work as a window into another world. in this world, i feel that i have to show the viewer more than they already know to be true.

i dont think anyone reads this, but there is a gallery opening this friday at the chase gallery. the artist is Joseph Piccillo, hes a really interesting mixed media artist.

rough artist statement

The age that we live in is an age where art has no definitive identity. Over the course of time, art has gone through many different stages. Prior to impressionism, art was widely known to be a realistic depiction of life. Things like the invention of the camera changed this ideal forever. The camera forced artists to search for something more; therefore not only changing art, but also changing the artist. The artist was forced to have more of a personal connection with his work. This change brought movements such as impressionism, and abstract expressionism. Currently, there is no major art movement, and most artists are not famous celebrities featured on the cover of life magazine.
Artistic direction is surely something every artist struggles with in the modern day. The work that I produce is not necessarily confined to any medium. I feel that the evolution of art now forces the real artist to work with a variety of different mediums from printmaking, to film, and from painting to sculpture. I feel like there needs to be a change in our modern world. Too many people are still hypnotized when they see a hyper realistic creation. I respect people who have the talent to portray exactly what they see in an exact fashion. Unfortunately, these hyper realistic works very rarely offer anything useful to the world of art. The modern artist is responsible for more than an accurate depiction. Rather than aspiring for this realistic depiction, my work is often my own interpretation of real world politics, and social issues. The world of art has naturally manifested itself into more than aesthetics. It is no longer all about what the viewer sees, but rather what the viewer feels, and takes away from the work. Through my work I strive to express opinion, and provoke thought, using irony, humor and truth.

i forget if we were supposed to be keeping track on our blog of what exhibits, and lectures we have been going too. the last two shows i have been to are the george nick show at the naga gallery, and also a belgian painting exhibit at the BC mcmullen meuseum. i also went to most of the exhibits on campus, my favorite being shoot the family. as for lectures, the fa2d dept usually has one every wednesday, and i have been to a handfull of them.

over the past few months, i feel like my artistic direction has evolved into a multitude of different subjects that i could take in many different ways. while i have always had strong concepts involving politics, and social issues, i have also started to have more traditional ideas. this semester began by putting politics in the back seat, while i began to become obsessed with painting portraits, and the figure. this focus i put on the figure lead me to a series of paintings involving my own face in a very simplistic style. aside from this, i have also started to become interested in landscapes, and the abstractions that can evolve from them.

i think my unusual,contour portraits were succesfull in many ways, and i also think i could take it further. with that said, i think i will put that on the backburner for my portfolio class, and focus more on social commentaries, and political issues. i plan on sitcking to the way i have always attacked certain issues. i do this by using alot of different mixed media such as paint, and silkscreening. the "made in china" painting i made is a good example of the way i execute my statements. i usually try and find, or create an ironic, funny, or thought provoking phrase that draws the viewers in. many times these phrases have earned me the title of being disrespectful, or a smart ass. i welcome both.

well, i am just updating everyone who doesnt read this blog on the progress of my project. i ended up venturing away from the idea i explained below and took it in a whole new direction. i feel confident about the direction i went in. im not going to explain it here, because it is not neceserry.

project progress

so i think i am going to continue with the idea/images i have posted below. my canvas is 6'x10'.