Simon gaon
Encyclopedia
Simon Gaon is an American
painter
, Expressionist, and action painter. He is best known for his intense, tempestuous, action oriented paintings of the cityscape. He was also a co-founder of the Street Painters, a group of eight New York
artists who painted directly from the city life they observed on the streets of America's largest city.
, Gaon at an early age displayed creative talents. By age 14 he began painting while attending the Roosevelt School in Stamford, Connecticut
. A key influence on him was painter Arthur Bressler (1927-1975) who was Gaon's teacher and mentor. Gaon graduated from the High School of Art and Design
in New York City
. In 1962, Gaon won the art studio award scholarship from the Art Students League
which allowed him to study art on the European continent. In 1964,he studied in Academia 63 in Haarlem
, Holland, and furthered his European education with the Art Students League Merit Scholarship(1965) and the Edward G. Mcdowell traveling scholarship
He later stayed more than ten years in Europe, primarily in Paris
, where his style evolved. The works of the Fauve
painters-Derain, Vlaminck as well as Soutine, Kokoschka, Corith,and especially Van Gogh have all strongly influenced his work.
Gaon also focuses on those who live on the urban periphery, the street people
, immigrants, and prostitutes. His paintings go beyond the immediate perception of these subjects, to uncover the inherent contradictions both in his subjects psyche and social position, and in his own consciousness. His subjects display a noble and prophetic character, as if spiritually from a bygone era yet awkwardly entrenched in a harsh contemporary reality.
2007
2006
2005
2004
West Vallery Art
2003
2002
1999
1997
1995
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1986
1974
1968
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, Expressionist, and action painter. He is best known for his intense, tempestuous, action oriented paintings of the cityscape. He was also a co-founder of the Street Painters, a group of eight New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
artists who painted directly from the city life they observed on the streets of America's largest city.
Early life and education
Born in 1943 in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Gaon at an early age displayed creative talents. By age 14 he began painting while attending the Roosevelt School in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. A key influence on him was painter Arthur Bressler (1927-1975) who was Gaon's teacher and mentor. Gaon graduated from the High School of Art and Design
High School of Art and Design
The High School of Art and Design is a Career and Technical Education high school located at 1075 Second Avenue, between 56th and 57th Streets in Manhattan, New York City, New York.It is operated by the New York City Department of Education...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1962, Gaon won the art studio award scholarship from the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
which allowed him to study art on the European continent. In 1964,he studied in Academia 63 in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
, Holland, and furthered his European education with the Art Students League Merit Scholarship(1965) and the Edward G. Mcdowell traveling scholarship
He later stayed more than ten years in Europe, primarily in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where his style evolved. The works of the Fauve
Fauve
Fauve may refer to:* Fauve , American comics artist* Fauve , a short legged hunting breed of dog* Fauvism, a short-lived and loose grouping of early 20th century modern art* Fauve Software, a defunct software company...
painters-Derain, Vlaminck as well as Soutine, Kokoschka, Corith,and especially Van Gogh have all strongly influenced his work.
Gaon's philosophy and style
In his work, Gaon is influenced more by his temperament than intellectualism. He prefers to take risks, and edit later, putting the living experience of painting at the forefront of his craft. As an action painter, he immerses himself physically in his art, using pigment, emotion, and poetry to reinvent nature in a personal way. He paints nature and the city with abandonment and freedom, harnessing the different layers of the subconscious to help form the painting. However, life in all its an energy and contradiction remains his inspiration. Subjects of his art include the night, the stormy sea, and the frenetic, carnival like, neon lit city.Art
Gaon is most famous for his Time Square series (1998) displaying the chaos and confusion of city. His depictions of the locale have been called dizzying, disorienting, and even mind-boggling. His works manifest the vitality, wildness, drivenness, and hysterical quality of the urban setting, ever expanding to the point of explosion. Gaon's chaotic Time Square, helps him, as an artist, express the contradictory life forces that live within him.Gaon also focuses on those who live on the urban periphery, the street people
Street people
Street people are people who live a public life on the streets of a city. Street people are frequently homeless, sometimes mentally ill, and often have a bohemian lifestyle...
, immigrants, and prostitutes. His paintings go beyond the immediate perception of these subjects, to uncover the inherent contradictions both in his subjects psyche and social position, and in his own consciousness. His subjects display a noble and prophetic character, as if spiritually from a bygone era yet awkwardly entrenched in a harsh contemporary reality.
Museums and Collections
- Museum of the City of New York, New York
- New York Historical Society, New York
- Yeshiva University Museum, New York
- Hudson River Museum, New York
- Art Students League, New York
- White and Case, New York
- West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, Arizona
- France Loisirs, Paris, France
- Millennium Hotel, New York
- Carrot Capital, LLC, New York
- Queen's College Museum
Exhibitions
2008- Gallerie OPEN, Berlin, Germany
- Gallerie Rose, Hamburg, Germany
2007
- Berlin Capital Club, Berlin Germany
2006
- Famira Gallery, Sylt Germany
- Nabi Gallery
2005
- Dankert, Box, Meier, Rechtsanwalte (Law Offices) Berlin, Germany
- Peter Findlay Gallery, New York,
- NYTon Warndorff Gallery, Haarlem, The Netherlands
- Nabi Gallery, New York, NY
- Gallery Rose, Hamburg, Germany
- Famira Gallery, Sylt Germany
2004
- Jan Famira Gallery, Sylt, Germany
West Vallery Art
2003
- West Valley Museum, Surprise, Arizona
2002
- Ludvika Konsthall, Ludvika, Sweden
1999
- Galleri Rubens, Smedjebacken, Sweden
- Realismus Galerie, Kasel, Germany
- Galerie Rose, Hamburg, Germany
1997
- Galerie Peter Fischinger, Stuttgart, Germany
1995
- Galerie Peter Fischinger, Stuttgart, German
- Susan Conway Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1992
- Frank Bustamante Gallery, New York, NY
1991
- Galerie Le Chainon Manquant, Paris, France
- Loisits Corporate Offices, Paris, France
1990
- Galerie Peter Fischinger, Stuttgart, Germany
- Galerie Rose, Hamburg, Germany
1989
- The Exhibition Space, New York (sponsored by Ingber Gallery)
1988
- Inngber Gallery, New York, NY
1986
- Nicolas Roerich Museum, New York, NY
1974
- Galerie des Ambassadeurs, Paris, France
1968
- Art Students League, New York City
External links
- Peter Findlay Gallery
- Spanierman Gallery
- http://www.galerierose.com/katalog/Katalog_Gaon_web.pdf
- http://www.nabiarts.com/06/gaon06.htm