Joseph Santore Recent Work
Opening reception Thursday, November 19, 6 to 8    Nov 18 - Dec 24, 2009

Lohin Geduld Gallery is proud to present our first exhibition of paintings and drawings by Joseph Santore.

Time is a critical element in the art of Joseph Santore. He studies his subjects for months, searching collections of objects, figures, and interiors for intriguing relationships. The longer he looks the more that is revealed. This unmasking of reality unfolds slowly over the course of many painting sessions. As time passes and his experience grows, Santore plumbs the depths of what it means to see without preconception.

Santore believes the mechanics of perception and understanding go hand in hand. Reality is not a fixed viewpoint, but a series of shifting focal points that capture spatial relationships, light, and color. The meaning of Santore’s work is not derived solely from his selection of subject matter, but also from the accumulative experience of “looking” over an extended period of time. The nature of Santore’s vision is the real subject, and through the intensity of his gaze we partake of a world that normally hides in plain sight.

For all of his attention to detail, Santore composes like an abstractionist, packing his paintings with information. Pushing, pulling, and squeezing shapes together, forming associations of gesture, edge, weight, and counterpoint. Combined with a masterful technique capable of conjuring up the palpable sensations of flesh, flowers, metal, or cloth, Santore’s paintings present us with actual experience. They hum in their devotion to the real, and make us want to look at everything anew.

Joseph Santore received an MFA from Yale University and a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art. He has had solo exhibitions at Edward Thorp Gallery, NY; Phoenix Art Museum, AZ; The Philadelphia Art Alliance, PA; The New York Studio School, NY; and Yale University. His work has been appeared in numerous group exhibitions including the Whitney Biennial, The Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Tucson Museum of Art, AZ; The American Academy & Institute of Arts & Letters, NY; The National Academy of Design, NY; The Butler Institute of American Art, OH; The Aspen Art Museum, CO; and The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, PA.

Santore’s work has been reviewed in Art in America, ArtForum, The New York Times, ArtNews, and Art & Antiques. His work is in the public collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; The Denver Art Museum, CO; The Cincinnati Museum of Art, OH; Phoenix Art Museum, AZ; The National Academy of Design, NY; Yale University, CT; among others.

Joseph Santore lives and works in New York City.