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Gary Giordano Confronts Fear and Dread in a Time of Pandemic



(Detail)


The paintings in Gary Giordano's new series come face to face with the anxiety-riddled moment of fear and loss we all find ourselves in.
The works confront this anxiety in the tradition of the Expressionist painters of Germany (both past and current)
and the series of prints known as the Miserere by Georges Rouault.











 Gary Giordano in his studio last year, Lambertville, NJ
Photo © Paul Behnke 2020


"The paintings are my response to the pandemic; to the situation we all find ourselves in.
I began painting what I thought the face of the disease would look like but sometimes the original
intention of a painting is dropped and maybe something else is resolved.
I don't always know what that is. I figure it out later.
These are dark but I think, in time, I may see them differently. It's something that you begin
and continue on with because you feel your circumstance and experience compel you to."

-Gary Giordano


 









"For me, painting is a way to forget life.
It is a cry in the night, a strangled laugh."

-Georges Rouault





Studio view, Philadelphia, PA







All works © Gary Giordano 2020

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Comments

Jeff Evans said…
Nice article! Haven't seen these in person, but Gary is the most direct painter I know. These works do indeed pull on the fear factor in all uf us - especially now. With other paintings from him, the surface is built, worked, abused, reworked, and painted all the way through. In the end, there is a surface there that carries the attitude of the painting. Im sure these do as well.
April 29, 2020 at 6:25 PM
Unknown said…
When I first viewed the series, I immediately imagined the paintings strategically placed across city streets as a type of warning/reaction to the current pandemic. The colors and symbols pull you with or their design appeal, but then you're forced to experience and consider the chaotic, haunting execution and subject matter.
May 9, 2020 at 4:33 AM
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