Thursday, May 03, 2007

Morris and Whiteside & Larusso

An email from Morris and Whiteside and Red Piano Galleries arrived this week with an invitation to view the works of Joseph Larusso which have recently been put online. http://www.morris-whiteside.com/Lorusso.htm

I had been intrigued by his work when visiting the gallery last month. It has an old-fashioned feeling about it and I was curious about his age. I had remembered to search the Internet for Larusso when I returned home. I was pleased to learn more. He was born in 1966 as was my oldest daughter -- veritable babes!

The subjects, the compositions and the palette choices make it seem as if each image came from Larusso's grandmother's photo album. And each one draws the viewer toward its unique story.

While many of the paintings throughout the galleries are textured with juicy applications of paint and filled with light and color, Larusso's surfaces are smooth, yet layered, and seemingly glazed with sepia. His drawing skills give credibility to his patterning and the position and language of his figures add mystery to the story. The results are modern, yet ancient. An interesting combination.

The email this week was a nice reminder of a pleasant morning.

My blog entry at http://bushstrokes.blogspot.com/2007/04/just-come.html has more on my visit to Morris and Whiteside and the Red Piano Galleries.

4 comments:

Walker said...

I love Larusso's work, have seen it many times, but always appreciate something new about it - as you do. Glad to see you posting!

Annette Bush said...

Yes, Robin. The 10 or so pieces of his work just kept drawing me away from the other walls! There were only a couple which I didn't like

Nita said...

I wasn't aware of this artist. Wow! Thanks, Annette.

Annette Bush said...

Glad you like him. He has such a unique palette and I love the way he uses the figure within the patterns. AAB