Bonner David Galleries | 10/19-11/30 | New York, NY

Conduits of Connection

Bonner David New York presents Moments and Meditations: New Works by Joseph Lorusso

Conversations with Joseph Lorusso about his art inevitably lead back to its ultimate purpose—to be a means of connection.

Lorusso predominantly paints figures because he believes they are the most readily accessible and understood by other people. He acknowledges that landscapes and wildlife art have their place, and can appreciate such works but “we’re not a tree or a wolf,” he says.

It’s why he chooses to depict scenes that people can relate to—a couple wrapped in a passionate embrace, a woman in languid reverie, ordinary or poignant moments in which his subjects are often caught unaware—all in his signature warm hues that give the effect of looking through tinted glasses into a scene outside of time.

Time for Cake, oil on panel, 36 x 38"

The importance of storytelling, of creating open-ended narratives the viewer can fill in with their own experiences, has been consistent throughout his development into the accomplished artist he is today, and is yet another way to drive home the immediate impact he hopes his paintings have on the viewer. “The whole human experience has been [shared] through storytelling, both verbally and pictorially, going back to the caves of Lascaux,” he says.

For Lorusso, a piece may be finished on the easel, but it is not complete without the viewer.

“A painting doesn’t do me any good until it’s before someone else and they interact with it, and reflect on it,” he says. “That tells me it’s a little about the piece, but more so it’s about what the viewer brings to it. In a sense that becomes the connection between the artist and the viewer.

Lighter Than Air (diptych), oil on panel, 36 x 36"

“For me the whole reason for creating is connection. There’s a deep undercurrent to everything we do as human beings,” he continues, joking not for the first time that he hopes he doesn’t sound too “artsy fartsy.” “I believe there’s a reason we can all look at a sunset and be moved by it. Or the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo’s Pietà. It touches something universal within us in a collective, unconscious way. They are visceral triggers we all share and experience.”

As Lorusso, now a husband and father edging into his late 50s, has matured in life, and as an artist, his art continues to evolve as does his perspective. On a surface level, he’s made a conscious attempt to bring more brightness into his work, in terms of color and value.

“Subject-wise, I try to look at life less like a brooding young man and see that there’s so much more to look forward to, so much mystery, and so many reasons to be grateful,” he says. “My work is reflective of where I am in my life right now.”

Morning Rush, oil on panel, 30 x 30"

It’s also reinvigorated a spirit of exploration and experimentation, reminiscent of how he felt as a young art student, before feeling the pressure to paint what paid the bills.

But his years of experience have bestowed a new kind of creative freedom that he hadn't yet earned in his youth—the confidence, the ability and the desire to throw away the rule book and go down any unconventional path to achieve his desired outcome. “Where I am in my life and career, I find that it’s important to push that envelope,” he says. “I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that I’m creating art. I am an artist with a capital ‘A’ and I’m really looking inward, and trying to express and put down what I feel is important and meaningful. And that means not leaving anything off the table.”

Lighter Than Air is an example of a new direction Lorusso is exploring for the first time. A diptych, a billowing thundercloud fills the larger bottom panel while above a crisp delineation of sky, a woman obscures her profile with the back of her hand—a juxtaposition of the external and the internal, a moment glimpsed, a scene of, or one that evokes reflection.

Prints and Patterns, oil on panel, 30 x 30"

The piece gave rise to the title of his upcoming show, Moments and Meditations, which is on view at Bonner David Galleries, New York, from October 19 through November 30, with a reception on October 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“I think that every painting I create is in some way an illustration of a moment or a mediation,” he says. “And if I can add a little bit of beauty to the world that’s a plus. If it’s something that can brighten someone’s day, if it’s moved them or touched them in some way…To me there’s no currency that can replace that as an artist. Even on the worst days, I’m pretty damn lucky and that is not lost on me in any way.” —

Bonner David Galleries 22 E. 81st Street, Suite #1 • New York, NY 10028 • (929) 226-7800 • www.bonnerdavid.com