Gallery Victor Armendariz kicks off the fall arts season with “Liberation,” an explosive group of new figure paintings by Chicago-based artist Bruno Surdo.
From the Gallery:
The 17 paintings included in “Liberation” explore personal yearning for spiritual and individual independence using various motifs and subject matter. The artworks challenge the viewer to connect with images that correspond to their own yearning for personal freedom. The viewer will recognize references to mythology, literature, and folklore, as well as archetypal reflections of Jungian psychology representing male and female sexuality.
“All of my career, I have been interested in how artistic creations have been an important part of a communal reflection that defines our existence,” Surdo says. “My dedication and purpose to this artistic endeavor has been the impetus of my art since the beginning of my studies. I studied artistic forms from all over the world, from all periods of time, and have always felt connected to the universality art has served in defining a meaning and purpose to life and civilization.
“My goal in becoming and practicing as a contemporary artist is to infuse a personal commentary and sensory awareness that explores and experiences the period of time we collectively live in. This expression of our culture has been gathered through my interactions, visual connections, and curiosities of our world of diversity. We live in a culture of continual visual stimuli and instant access to information, and we are globally interconnected more than ever. The questions of why we are here and what our purpose is in this advanced world continually arise for me as I explore the plethora of technical and creative outlets in creating each new body of work.”
Since he began showing his artwork in the 1990s, Surdo’s work has consistently received both critical and popular acclaim, with numerous commissions and shows. He has exhibited his work at the Arkansas Art Center; Loyola University; the Fort Wayne Museum of Art; the University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts; the Chicago Cultural Center; the Frye Art Museum, Seattle; the Mobile Museum of Art, Alabama; and the University of Wisconsin. Bruno was the founder and director of the School of Representational Art in Chicago and currently teaches at Columbia College in Chicago. His artwork is held in many prestigious collections around the world.
Surdo is a true native of Chicago. He studied drawing and art history and pursues the mastery of the human form with inspiration from the Renaissance masters. His provocative works center on the human condition and are known for their allegorical imagery. He lectures often and is a teacher who believes in nurturing others.The artistic forms he has created are images that communicate a personal commentary on the issue or question in mind. These shapes are then arranged in a pictorial space using the human form. Surdo strives to communicate a message to the viewer — to engage the person in a conversation between what he puts forth and what the viewer can then interpret. The interchange of response and curiosity are goals the artist set when composing his ideas. Surdo believes art is a continual form of expression, and he feels committed to searching for a language that brings his thoughts and feelings to the surface.
“Liberation” is on view at Gallery Victor Armendariz (Chicago, Illinois) through October 26, 2018.
The Figurative Art Convention & Expo (November 7-10, 2018 in Miami, Florida) is the conference for museum quality artists and those that strive to be:
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