Joseph Todorovitch is a true artist. He is always learning and growing—and still taking the occasional workshop from other artists—with the goal of making compositions that are about paint application and craftsmanship. The figure is his primary vessel, but rather than its narrative taking center stage, it acts as a companion to the technical elements. Only on reflection of his finished pieces does Todorovitch find common threads—often through color, objects and the overall feeling. Because of that, Todorovitch’s artwork allows viewers to be active participants and find their own meaning from the imagery.Comfort, oil on panel, 24 x 24"

This April, a small showcase of Todorovitch’s newest paintings will be on view at Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles. The works, approximately a dozen in total, expand on themes the California-based artist has used recently including nudes and bicyclists.

“I’m going for minimal color and concentrating on values and design and creating a strong, very simple graphic series of shapes,” Todorovitch says. “It’s light and dark essentially, and I have the figure emerge from that simple design. It goes back to simplifying the design and simplifying them to two shades of value, light and dark, and seeing how much sensitivity I can find in that simple pattern. All that is to say that color is just a side note and supplement, and I’m trying to make sure that the color doesn’t overwhelm the design or play the front role of the design. I want the sense of form and light to be the main actor.”Thinker, oil on panel, 24 x 24"

While some of the pieces in the show, such as Thinker and Comfort, depict the nude figure, the woman is not sexualized or alluring. Instead, the works—and all of his others in the show—touch on a different expressive quality that moves beyond the tradition of figure painting. Todorovitch explains that he doesn’t go into the work with a clear idea of the composition, but with his newer pieces he’s been leaning more into the spirit of the figures. He adds, “Maybe I’m showing more the mood of the figure so it doesn’t seem too academic and it feels there’s something relatable.”

That mood in these new works is something Todorovitch refers to simply as “soul.” And he’s quick to explain that it’s not peering into the soul of a person, but the person having soul. “That seems to be a connecting thread whether it’s a nude or bicycle painting. The subject matter gives me range to jump back and forth and not get burnt out, but the common thread is the feeling and the mood. I want them to have soul,” he shares.Amble, oil on panel, 30 x 20"

His bicycle paintings, including Amble and Following the Leader, may be more direct in this idea since the physical experience can be shared with the viewer. “Riding bikes has always been one of those fun things. It’s a connecting with nature type of thing, kind of like in surfing where there’s a certain balance to riding a wave, with riding a bike there’s also a soul to it,” Todorovitch says. He adds, “It’s a soulful experience. That feeling just of the wind and everything, the balance and the movement; you’re taking a particular line; you get to choose the path but it’s fluid, and that spirit of the ride. It’s kind of like life.”

Following the Leader, oil on panel, 24 x 36"Todorovitch is a classic technician, but also uses today’s technology to enhance his compositions. “These paintings are done mostly from photo reference, so I’m definitely working from the photos, but modifying them a lot.” he says. “I am editing out a lot of superfluous information, moving things around and playing with the color. Just kind of designing the reference and taking a lot of time to work with the reference and make it image worthy. There’s always something unfavorable with photo reference, so it’s fun to do the creative process with the reference even before painting at all—preparing the reference and making it designed better.”Joseph Todorovitch paints one of his newest pieces in his California studio.

He also continues to take illustration classes and is learning about Photoshop to paint digitally on his references and have more control over the final painting. “It’s always about control and being able to manipulate things and still maintain the integrity of the realistic quality to some degree,” Todorovitch says. “I’m not beholden to absolute realism, but I do want that impression of realism to be a main part or factor. You start manipulating them and it can look really funky really fast. Maintaining the integrity of the space and light has been fun to do and have more control of the reference is liberating.” —

Joseph Todorovitch
When: Opening April 11, 2020
Where: Maxwell Alexander Gallery, 406 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Information: (213) 275-1060, www.maxwellalexandergallery.com 

Powered by Froala Editor