In a show of approximately 22 fresh oil and watercolor paintings, hosted at Stone Sparrow in New York, artist Victor Grasso illustrates his new-found playfulness and embraces his inner child. The show titled Paracosm, “totally relates to where I am right now creating this imaginary world, where I think a lot of artists live in,” Grasso says. “We get to be kids eternally and play with our crayons forever.”
After a successful run at depicting figures and flora and fauna in high detail, Grasso is letting loose in this new series, “making images based in fantasy” and tends to create them “by looking through the lens of a child,” he says. “I’ve been telling my friends—I’m 45 this year and it’s taken me 45 years to say ‘it’s not going to be perfect, and that’s okay.’ I’m not toiling over every single brushstroke and it’s okay to flow and not be so tight.”
Louisiana, oil on linen, 22 x 62"
Grasso also admits that he’s not interested in bold statements but rather, “interested in what swirls around in my head when I close my eyes,” he shares. “The characters in my paintings are characters in a story I’ve been writing my entire life.”
The artist pulls from mythology, fables and folk lore from his own childhood, clearly seen in the whimsical watercolor Rey Del Mar—translating to the “king of the sea.” A confident sea turtle holds a trident while sitting atop colorful flora, and conjures images of Poseidon from Greek mythology. “I had this vision of an old, wise protector of the sea,” Grasso explains. “So many visuals we have for a protector are usually stronger and more robust, like a whale or Aquaman. But what if someone protected the sea with more knowledge and a little brawn but isn’t gigantic like a whale? An animal, like a turtle, has traveled a long time and seen a lot. They can be delicate animals but also hardened at the same time.”
Wanderer, watercolor on paper, 45 x 24"
Also coming from Greek myth, and based on the biblical story of Nimrod the Hunter, is the striking and large oil painting Nimrod Ascending, depicting a moody scene with a female figure and large elk bordering the left side of the painting. “It’s a mix between two historic beliefs and tied in with this great beast which is hanging like a trophy, but as a reference to a great feat of accomplishment, overcoming a giant task and standing with grace and power,” says Grasso.
Nimrod Ascending, oil on linen, 60 x 38"
Another important element is Grasso’s use of the female figure throughout most of his body of work. The artist shares that this feminine influence comes from being raised primarily by his mom and grandma. “There’s always female empowerment going on in my work,” he notes. “It’s not blatant, but it’s more a representation of me telling my story through the female form.”
Rey Del Mar, watercolor on paper, 51½ x 34"
We see more of the female figure in Louisiana, where a woman is lounging on the back of an alligator with a fiddle in her hands. “Originally, I wanted this piece to be a self-portrait of me playing a guitar on the back of a crow,” says Grasso, “but it morphed into this odalisque or siren-like image (another common theme to the artist’s work). It’s got the weary traveler, the music, the danger, great mood lighting and has never been shown before!”
The Magpie and The Mushroom, watercolor on paper, 60 x 30"
Paracosm will not only feature an impressive mix of watercolor and oil paintings, but will also include a few drawings and studies, all created within the last two years. The show opens April 12 and hangs through May 27. —
Stone Sparrow NYC, 45 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY 10014 • (646) 449-8004 • www.stonesparrownyc.com
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