ERIC ARMUSIK
"The Death of Cleopatra"
ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
I am a romantic artist that fuses my life experiences with art history. My paintings are a declaration to the dramatic power of traditional, figurative art. The origin of my inspiration does not lie in academia, rather my past as a child surrounded by the vivid paintings I saw each Sunday during church. Because of this my work differs from my contemporaries who are more concerned with form, color and a contemporary realistic style. I don’t aspire to simply paint a figure; I paint a moment, a human experience, and an emotional dialogue that transcends culture, religion and time itself.
I use oil-based pigments, applying them to wood panels that I prepare. My chiaroscuro technique is based on 17th Century masters like Caravaggio and Artemesia Gentileschi. I paint fast and direct in an alla prima style over a grisaille, then with layers of glazes I finish with a rich varnished surface of richness and depth.
I graduated with a B.F.A. in painting and an art history minor from Pennsylvania State University in 1995 and spent a summer semester abroad in Todi, Italy, where I studied directly from the masterworks of 17th Century artists. In 2010 I won the Chairman’s Award for the Sixth International Art Renewal Center competition out of 1700 submissions from over 30 countries worldwide. In 2003 I was honored to represent the United States at the Florence Bienniale. Over the last few years my art has appeared in the pages of the New York Times, Poets and Artists, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Victorian Homes and American Artist Magazine. My work is in the collections of Howard Tullman, The Trenton Museum of Art and numerous private collections.
