April 2015
Haynes Galleries presents
“Vincent Giarrano: Life in the City—
Paintings, Drawings & Sketches”
April 24 to May 30, 2015
Reception: Friday, 5 p.m. to 7:30 pm, April 24, 2015
NASHVILLE— Contemporary Realist Vincent Giarrano's solo show —“Vincent Giarrano: Life in the City— Paintings, Drawings & Sketches,” will present a variety of scenes from daily urban life, captured intimately and with a discerning eye. The show is on view from April 24 to May 30 at Haynes Galleries on the Music Row Roundabout, with an opening reception from 5 to 7:30 pm on the evening of April 24. Both exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
A former comic book illustrator, Giarrano has been featured in a solo show at Haynes Galleries before, in the Spring of 2013. The upcoming show will present more of what is at the heart of Giarrano’s work, seemingly ordinary moments from everyday life in New York City— like a woman locking up her shop for the night, enjoying a few minutes of solitude on a rooftop, or indulging in an afternoon nap— that appeal on an emotional level because Giarrano sees the natural, simple narratives in these scenes and captures them on canvas.
A former resident of New York, Giarrano has a profound understanding of the city’s appeal, its energy, and its quieter side. He tries to capture his subjects during those quieter moments when he believes they have let their guard down. He sets his figures in their own surroundings and surrounds them with their own belongings. “I don’t manipulate the environment too much. I like to paint their things— they speak volumes about the person.”
Even with his careful attention to his subjects personalities, Giarrano doesn’t consider his images traditional portraits. He describes them more as a combination of portrait and genre scenes, akin to Andrew Wyeth’s iconic work. “I enjoy when the painting isn’t about that person per say, but about the human condition,” he says. “There’s a power to these moments that speak of something larger.”
Yet Giarrano’s scenes also carry a voyeuristic quality. Looking off into the distance or with backs turned, figures often appear unaware of the artist’s or viewer’s presence. Everyday tasks rarely go unseen by others in the city but Giarrano focuses them through an artistic lens.
The artist says the work featured in his upcoming show also focuses on how his paintings evolve. “This group is also about the process of painting, from beginning to end,” says the artist. “There are preparatory sketches that will show the progression of the paintings’ compositions.” Viewers will be able to share in Giarrano’s train of thought through his new work.
The paintings, drawings and sketches in Haynes Galleries’ show will transport viewers to these quieter scenes, captured with visceral realness, and into the mindset of an artist that sees the real world in life’s most quotidian moments.