 |
| Ron Burkhardt, Atlanta, 2013, Oil on Canvas |
The Notism movement—sometimes described as an evolution of art brut, recalling the obsessive oeuvres of Joan Miró, Paul Klee, Cy Twombly and Jean Dubuffet—has taken the movement further to create a unique visual language known as LetterScapes. Architectural in structure, the letterscape paintings subtly conceal language in geometric oil paint blocks.
In his newest evolution, Burkhardt engages the viewer with stunning colors, shapes and letterforms that conjure up a sense of city skylines with a dramatic sense of scale. Each contains one or two memorable words fraught with meaning that are not apparent on first viewing. Up close, one notes the precise beauty of thick oils. From afar, the viewer is transfixed by the bold topography and distinctive color combinations.
The artist rollicks through an array of key American cities (Miami, New York, Atlanta) and moves into the profundities of emotionally-charged words (Karma, Romance, Infinity) to which everyone connects.
As renowned curator and art critic Peter Frank said of Burkhardt's work merging art and language:
Given his own orientation to the visual, an orientation he honed professionally and personally, Ron Burkhardt could not help but regard writing as something seen, not just read. Like the rest of us, he has generated volumes upon volumes of manual scripture, much of it incidentally. But unlike the rest of us, Burkhardt has gone back to these haphazard, offhanded notations and looked at them, too. And he has gotten past what they say, to how they say it—and past that, to how they appear in the act of saying.
Burkhardt has received over 200 awards for creative excellence and his work has been recognized by The United Nations, The Art Directors Club of New York, The One Show, Creativity, CLIOS, Gold & Silver Effies, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Addys, Tellies, Mobius, PHOENIX, Hollywood International Broadcast Awards, Cannes, Black Book Awards, CA Annual, Outstanding Young Men of America, and the Presidential Order of Merit. He studied at the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy of Fine Art, New York.
In addition to Leonard Tourné Gallery, Burkhardt has had dozens of solo exhibitions and group shows, including at the Forster Gallery (Miami Beach, FL), The Forbes Gallery (New York, NY), Peter Marcelle Contemporary (Hamptons and New York, NY), Marion Meyer Gallery (Laguna Beach, CA), Paul Fisher Gallery (Palm Beach, FL), Water Mill Museum (Hamptons, NY), the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History (Jackson, MI), and the Museum of Coral Springs (Coral Springs, FL).
His works have sold at auction in Sothebys and Phillips de Pury and are featured in more than 100 private collections.
"Notism LetterScapes: The Organic Beauty of Words" runs October 25 through November 11 at Leonard Tourné Gallery, located at 46 East 65th Street between Park and Madison avenues.
No comments:
Post a Comment