SOLO EXHIBITION
SOLO EXHIBITION
SOLO EXHIBITION
The World's Leading Contemporary Fine Art Gallery
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The World's Leading Contemporary Fine Art Gallery
Eric
Matranga
USA
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“Art is first and foremost personal expression. It may be a positive vision but it can also be dark and divisive.”
Down through the years, artists have produced work that is provocative and were told it is the artist’s job to shake things up. Some have never really agreed with that approach and have been reluctant to go down that road. It seems so many are talking past each other and use their skills and activity to drives wedges between people and fragment society rather that to build community.
The Superstition Mountains, located east of Phoenix, Arizona, have a mysterious quality to them and have a particularly dramatic quality during storm events. This scene features clear skies but depicts the dramatic character of the long shadows cast in the first light just after sunrise. I have painted numerous canvases of this particular spot in different seasons and in different light, and never fail to find new inspiration from the view. This piece was accepted to an online show in 2021.
From an early age, Art was what Eric used when troubled and needed to think things through and find comfort and equilibrium. There is more than enough strife and stress out there that an artist doesn’t need to create more.
When I was young I was fascinated by portraiture and attempted to capture the feel and essence of an individual in a portrait. Though I don't spend as much time working images of people, when I do the purpose remains the same, to capture the essence of the individual. Picasso has always held a certain fascination for me, though I don't personally like much of his work. I am amazed at his creativity and production and find inspiration in both. I combine his moody look with some of his imagery.
Art has always been Eric’s method to heal and seek comfort and remains so. There is no reason to change now, though he really doesn’t see anything bringing us back together as a society. Anger and lies rule the day rather than objective truth and the pursuit of common ground.
“Sharing his passion for Art and building confidence in young artists has become his goal and mission.”
Eric’s art matured over the last several years and he credits much of that from the investigation of the color theory of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe is best known for his play known in English as Faust, though he considered his investigation of light and color as more significant. He went beyond the linear science of Isaac Newton’s visible spectrum to investigate what is seen in the shadows but defies direct measurement.
“Art is an expression of the inner essence of the individual. That essence can be strong and confident and not reach anyone beyond the artist.”
There is a lesson here for Eric. Not everything can be measured, analyzed, and described in scientific terms, though he spent much of my life engaged in scientific investigation. Art is more than science and often defies description and measurement.
Much of my life was spent in the dry deserts of the southwest US. Five years in the lush green of Northern California transformed how I depict what I paint. The light filtering through the trees and forests fascinated me and much of my recent work features such filtered light. The Eucalyptus trees and barks have become a particular fascination as their appearance changes with the light and time of day as well as the season.
“The essence of art can be weak and unsure and at once reach and appeal to many. While the appeal of what the artist produces may reflect the values of the time it is still drawn from the artist’s internal vision.”
The redwood groves found in the forests of Northern California have a unique feel and the appearance changes through the day and by the season. Sometimes dark and moody but there are other times where they absolutely explode in warm light and colors. This work features young growth rather than the massive trees mostly found now in protected groves and displays the warm of summer.
Eric’s Art is about harmony and reaches the soul in ways that can’t always be quantified or pinned down. He now shares that concept teaching Art in elementary school to children. He has recently accepted a new part-time position with an art education non-profit to bring virtual art to schools and civic organizations in Arizona.
I recently spent considerable time in the Sacramento River Valley of Northern California. Spring is an explosion of life and green that quickly dries out and fades to ambers in the grasses while the trees retain the green. This is such a depiction of Spring giving way to Summer and that lazy stillness in the air as morning gives way to the heat of the afternoon. This piece also shows a strong influence of Van Gogh in thick, linear dabs of intense pigment and was accepted to an 2021 online show
Eric paints with oils for the intensity of the pigment and the creamy look of the finished product. He also works with conté pastels and guache for the ease and quickness of exploration with a sketch. The intensity of pigment and the pop of the finished presentation in his work pays homage to the artists of the Post-Impressionist Era in Art.
This piece was painted specifically for a juried show "Inspired by Vincent" in Phoenix, Arizona at the Herberger Theater's spot gallery. It was accepted and will be hanging there through the month of February. It was also accepted for inclusion in an online show. I have depicted numerous versions of aspen trees at different times of day and in different seasons but particularly like this work. I like the harmonies of this Autumn depiction of Indian Summer before the snow flies.
Eric finds his inspiration in the work of Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Toulouse-Lautrec in addition to other artists working in the Twentieth Century and influenced by the social turmoil of the Great War.
This work was also selected for an online show and features that filtered light of the northern forests I've come to enjoy so much. The extended horizontality of the canvas size also seems to lend substance and warm to the depiction. It was also selected for inclusion in an online show in late 2021.
“Eric’s work seeks that healing and harmony drawn from Nature rather than from the works of Man.”
The Saguaro West component of Saguaro National Park is located west of Tucson, Arizona in a truly dramatic setting. The signature saguaro cacti are distributed across the landscape and Kit Peak looms over it to the south. During Monsoon Season storms regularly develop that create dramatic sunrises and sunsets. This piece was also accepted to an 2021 online show.
Eric’s work draws inspiration from those giants in the emergence of Modern Art, but in no way attempts to draft the style of anyone. His work and approach are his own.
This is one of my favorite works from the last year but has not been accepted in any shows. It has a very minimalist presentation but quite intense color and an intense contrast between the sky and the ground in the raking light of early morning. The variety of flora and fauna in the central Arizona desert never fails to inspire me, but is best depicted in the colors of early morning or late evening.
Similar turmoil is weeping our nation and much of the rest of the world in the current era. The broken brush stroke and intense pigment allows all viewers to make sense of his work in their own minds eye and interpret in an intimate manner specific to each.
The community of Petrolia, California is found in a remote location inland near the "Lost Coast" of northern California. The location is frequently shrouded in dense clouds and experiences considerable rainfall. When the sun forces its way through the clouds and mist an incredible beauty emerges. This work features such a moment in late winter before the grasses green up for Spring. The dried grasses from the previous season yielded a nice harmony with the colors of the sky and mountains.