Joseph Barbieri : Reality, You Choose

April 7 – 29 at Gallery NAGA

In April, Gallery NAGA presents new work by Joseph Barbieri, the Cambridge-based painter whose deft and witty inventions refuse to take seriously the mores and folkways of the art world while taking quite seriously the matter of painting itself.

Joseph Barbieri: Reality, You Choose runs from April 7 through 29 at Gallery NAGA.  A reception for the artist and the public will be held at the gallery on Friday, April 7 from 6 to 8 pm.  In addition, Barbieri will speak about his work on Saturday, April 15 at 2 pm.

Continuing his recent habit, Barbieri presents both streams of his work, his finely wrought and irreverent portraits of anthropomorphic creatures and his delicate, lyrical landscapes.

His creatures are engaged in leisurely pursuits: painting plein air, flying antique planes, dressing for dinner, lolling by the pool.  While they superficially appear to resemble us, they're far more unwittingly absorbed into their own peculiar world than we are.  His airy landscapes are immersions in light and atmosphere, typically painted in Maine and Italy.

Commenting about his new work Barbieri says, “In the landscapes, I do have a new location, Antigua, which has a whole new kind of color.  It’s a very different flavor than either Maine or Italy.  The color of the water is as gaudy as the color in my bird paintings.

“With the animals, I’m doing a lot with patterns.” Barbieri continues.  “In Bob Son of Battle, the dog is wearing dog clothing.  His shirt, tie, jacket, and pocket square all have dog bones on them.  They’re not things a human being would wear. And the head is an incredibly intricate pattern of hairs.

“I do see some of the landscapes creeping into the bird paintings as background, but I don’t see the birds creeping into the landscapes.  The title of the show asks viewers which of the two styles they consider reality.  I can see many different legitimate answers.”