Phil Joanou is a Pasadena-based artist who specializes in figurative paintings that are essentially ...
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Phil Joanou is a Pasadena-based artist who specializes in figurative paintings that are essentially allegorical in nature. The product of extensive training, in institutions and with individual artists, Joanou possesses a master’s degree in painting from the New York Academy of Art. His technical skill is underscored by the largeness of his themes, which can concern the mythological. The artist’s use of allegory carries with it the responsibility of making the details of his suggested narratives very clear, something he does exceptionally well. For him, art has a purpose beyond mere condition as both chastening and full of wonder.
Joanou, who sees his art as being influenced by his experience with mass communication and psychology, the result of his experience in the advertising industry. His paintings are intuitive portraits of the complex psychological situations we so often find ourselves in. They read as essays in a style that incorporates elements both classical and contemporary, in a vocabulary that activates very old stories and makes them new again. This is difficult to do, but Joanou achieves his aim in canvases that reflect his love of tradition and his awareness that tradition runs false if it dominates his sensibility. Joanou reminds us that expressionism is not moribund but merely under used, giving the artist the chance to connect with a past that genuinely supports him.
By Jonathan Goodman Writer/Editor – “Art in America”
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Artist Statement
"For many years, I worked in the field of advertising, a field that emphasizes mass communications and the psychology of both the individual and the society. At the same time, I have worked hard to master the elements of figurative painting and drawing, and this experience has helped me shape and structure my art. My first influence is the world as it is now- I record and document what I know about contemporary culture, and my work has been influenced by many aspects of modern society, including film, advertising, music, news, and graphic design. I find that certain historical influences have stayed with me, especially those given over to the allegorical reading of culture and individual impulses: German medieval art, expressionism, artists who range from El Greco to Bearden. Over time, these influences, often at odds with one another, have resulted in a tense stalemate, if not open warfare, between the historical-classical ideas-and the modern reality that effects me today. My references to classical mythology, literature, and biblical stories enable me to link the old with the new.
I tend to work allegorically and in series-one body of work is the group of classical nudes, ranging from Botticelli’s Venus to Michelangelo’s David, which spiral downwards toward the net of modern urban life. Other paintings retell classical stories such as the fall of Icarus, or biblical themes, such as the tale of Susanna and the Elders. My outlook is realistic: individual persons in my paintings are often categorized, even controlled, by frightening naturalistic forces. My method, in which I combine the elements of classical and contemporary art to arrive at an expressionistic and painterly style is repeated in my choice of subject matter, which often recreates classical beings within a modern setting. I intend always to be respectful of tradition without being bound to it, as I am fully aware of the impact of the new media that has done so much to alter the position of painting in our world now."
Phil Joanou
Artist Statement
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