The Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) wrote, “Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.”
Half Dozen, oil on panel, 48 x 60"
Waldorf Schools are based on Steiner’s educational philosophy. Gregory Block’s parents set up a Waldorf School that he attended from kindergarten through the fourth grade. Art is an integral part of the program and Block notes, “Art is all around us. Everything is beautiful.”
He continued painting through college where he majored in biology at Colorado College, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 2009. He recalls a faculty member telling him he is a true scientist. “You’re able to look at the world from an inquisitive standpoint.”
As an artist he decided not to study with a mentor, choosing rather to experiment and to learn through observation of both the world and the artists whom he admired.
Sweet Dreams, oil on panel, 48 x 36"
His still lifes fascinate not only for their verisimilitude but also for the nuances of color, light and positive and negative space that can only come about through inquisitive observation and by choosing what to include in his paintings from all that he sees. He points out the ancient Greek word for beautiful, hōraios, which means, literally, in one’s moment. A painting comes into being over a long series of progressive moments.
Stack 1, oil on panel, 24 x 16"
Moments have come and gone and still remain in his painting Half Dozen, a 4-by-5-foot depiction of the remaining six donuts in a box. Grease spots, drops of jelly and colored sprinkles remain from the departed and the mouth-watering potential of future pleasure remains.
Half Dozen will be in a solo exhibition of his work at Gallery 1261 in Denver from July 24 through August 21.
Gallery 1261
1261 Delaware Street, Suite 1 • Denver, CO 80204
(303) 571-1261 • www.gallery1261.com
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