Anthony Apesos
Encyclopedia
Anthony Apesos is an American painter and professor of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University
.
, the son of John and Helen Apesos. Later that year, his family returned to Philadelphia, where his parents were restaurateurs. Apesos attended The Episcopal Academy
from 1965 to 1972, after which he received his A.B. at Vassar College
in Religion. Apesos studied painting under Morris Blackburn, Arthur de Costa, Ben Kamahira, and Sidney Goodman at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
from 1975 to 1979, and received a M.F.A. in 1991 from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College
. In 1992, Apesos moved to Boston, and became chair of the Fine Arts department at the Art Institute of Boston (now part of Lesley University
). Apesos founded AIB's M.F.A. program, and currently is professor of Fine Arts.
Apesos's painting, while indebted to the American realist tradition, is informed by a fascination with mythology and archetypical themes; in this respect, his work exhibits striking parallels with the visual art of the Romantic poet and artist William Blake
. Technically, Apesos draws upon the traditions of late Renaissance painting, in particular that of the Venetian masters; his work is characterized by the employment of opalescent scumbles (translucent layers of pigment placed over solid colors to produce effects of depth and texture for the viewer), and inventive, often unsettling modes of composition in which figures and background are juxtaposed in simultaneously traditional and unfamiliar ways.
Snow and Milk: here, the binary opposition of white and black, cold and hot, is juxtaposed against the traditional artistic figure of the female nude, providing a symbolic matrix within which to consider the way that Western art has objectified as well as celebrated femininity and the body in general.
Recipe: composed with a fundamental palette of red, black, and white, and evoking both ancient pictorial traditions (the unveiling of the Vestal Virgin) as well as archetypal symbolism (earth and water, dark and light) to reflect upon the fundamental and yet mysterious nature of human reproduction, focused here upon the powerful and compositionally-central figure of the mother.
Lesley University
Lesley University is a private, coeducational university in Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts.The university is a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and New England Collegiate Conference.-History:The...
.
Biography
Apesos was born on 6 January 1953 in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, the son of John and Helen Apesos. Later that year, his family returned to Philadelphia, where his parents were restaurateurs. Apesos attended The Episcopal Academy
The Episcopal Academy
The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12. In 2008, it relocated from its Merion, Pennsylvania campus and Devon, Pennsylvania satellite campus to its new campus in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania...
from 1965 to 1972, after which he received his A.B. at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in Religion. Apesos studied painting under Morris Blackburn, Arthur de Costa, Ben Kamahira, and Sidney Goodman at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
from 1975 to 1979, and received a M.F.A. in 1991 from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
. In 1992, Apesos moved to Boston, and became chair of the Fine Arts department at the Art Institute of Boston (now part of Lesley University
Lesley University
Lesley University is a private, coeducational university in Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts.The university is a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and New England Collegiate Conference.-History:The...
). Apesos founded AIB's M.F.A. program, and currently is professor of Fine Arts.
Work
Apesos's painting, while indebted to the American realist tradition, is informed by a fascination with mythology and archetypical themes; in this respect, his work exhibits striking parallels with the visual art of the Romantic poet and artist William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
. Technically, Apesos draws upon the traditions of late Renaissance painting, in particular that of the Venetian masters; his work is characterized by the employment of opalescent scumbles (translucent layers of pigment placed over solid colors to produce effects of depth and texture for the viewer), and inventive, often unsettling modes of composition in which figures and background are juxtaposed in simultaneously traditional and unfamiliar ways.
Representative paintings
Snow and Milk: here, the binary opposition of white and black, cold and hot, is juxtaposed against the traditional artistic figure of the female nude, providing a symbolic matrix within which to consider the way that Western art has objectified as well as celebrated femininity and the body in general.
Recipe: composed with a fundamental palette of red, black, and white, and evoking both ancient pictorial traditions (the unveiling of the Vestal Virgin) as well as archetypal symbolism (earth and water, dark and light) to reflect upon the fundamental and yet mysterious nature of human reproduction, focused here upon the powerful and compositionally-central figure of the mother.
Exhibits, presentations, and publications
- Three Fabulists: Visions of Fact and Fantasy, New Arts Center (NewtonNewton, MassachusettsNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
), April 2000. - Osiris Paintings, Newton Free Library, April 2001.
- Italian Perspectives, Copley Gallery (BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
), October–November 2002. - Paintings from Tony Apesos, Holderness SchoolHolderness SchoolThe Holderness School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Holderness, near Plymouth, New Hampshire in the United States. The student body of 275 is drawn from 22 U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. While Holderness operates primarily as a boarding school, it also enrolls 50...
, January–February 2006. - "Interpreting Facture," College Art Association, Philadelphia, February 2002.
- Anatomy for Artists: A New Approach to Discovering, Learning and Remembering the Body (North Light Press, 2007).
Reviews
- Joanne Silver, "Superlative 'Fabulists'." Boston Herald, 12 May 2000
- Emily Porter, "Re-membering Myth", The Harvard Crimson, 20 April 2001
- John Stephen Dwyer, "Anthony Apesos: artist, teacher, man for all seasons", Boston lowbrow, 22 February 2010
External links
- Faculty listing from The Art Institute of Boston website
- Anthony Apesos' blog http://anthonyapesos.blogspot.com/
- Anthony Apesos' website http://www.apesos.com