Michael Arcieri | #19B | Painter
Having mastered the genre of representational realism, Arcieri was awarded the Maryland State Arts Council Grant – Individual Artist Award in 2003. During this time Arcieri began compiling reference and recording imagery that compelled and fascinated him outside of the realm he was working in to try and form a more complex vocabulary to communicate within his paintings. Like true Artists in the past having proven themselves highly skilled and adept in the fundamentals of realism painting, Arcieri seems to think it is time to use the tools he’s perfected over the course of many years to employ a language that engages and demands the viewers participation.
Mythology has been interpreted by painters for hundreds of years, from Titian’s mythological paintings for Philip II, to Rubens romantic depictions of voluptuous goddesses. In these paintings I bring to the attention of the viewer the beauty of classical and neo-classical interpretations juxtaposed with what appears to be collage-cut imagery of various 17th and 18th century landscapes, persuasive modern advertisements and/or rulers whose actions may have paralleled the story or myth. I show in a new light these factors either by contrast or similarity within the multi-faceted context of modern culture to arrive at an end result that commands contemplation by the viewer and stands alone in the world of post-modern art. In the recent continuation of this series my obsession with Greek and Roman mythological narratives play an even greater role.
Michael Arcieri graduated the Art Institute of Houston in 1987 and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where he lived for seven years. Studying realism painting under painter Patricia Whitty, his knowledge and technique of realism painting grew and was perfected during this period. By the mid-1990’s national galleries began representing his work and selected works were then included in the 20th Anniversary Exhibit at the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the summer of 1999 Michael moved to the Eastern seaboard’s Baltimore, Maryland and began studying under Spain’s world renowned contemporary painter Salvador Bru. Arcieri then moved into a studio converted from a 150 year old foundry on the edge of historic Baltimore City where he began creating larger works during this period and his national recognition continued to grow. In 2003 Arcieri moved back to his hometown of Houston, Texas where he now lives and paints in The Heights. Michael was awarded the Maryland State Arts Council Grant, Individual Artist Award in 2003. His work is included in the permanent collection of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana as well as private and corporate collections across the United States.
