Joseph Barbieri: New Ducks and Scenic Scenes

April 3 — 25 at Gallery NAGA

In April, Gallery NAGA presents new work by Joseph Barbieri, a painter of gentle landscapes and also a painter who uses duck-like creatures as a guise to paint himself, his friends, and his experiences.

Joseph Barbieri: New Ducks and Scenic Scenes runs from April 3 – 25 at Gallery NAGA.  A reception for the artist and public will be held at the gallery on Friday, April 3 from 6 to 8 pm.  In addition, Barbieri will speak about his work on Saturday, April 18 at 2 pm.

The landscapes, tender in affect, are really a travelogue of the past two years.  When traveling, Barbieri spends much of his time painting.  Among the destinations he often revisits are Italy, Antigua, Maine, and now Florida.

Asked about painting the landscapes, Barbieri comments, “I love being outside and not being cooped up in the studio.  The idea is to use a much freer and spontaneous approach in painting the landscapes, but I find they are more worked now.  They are starting to approach the animal paintings in terms of detail and finish.”

Barbieri’s “animals” resemble humans in their actions - reading, singing, flying planes, talking on the phone, enjoying the landscape.  For this exhibition, many of the animals are presented in frontal portrait poses, akin to northern European renaissance portraits. 

Many of Barbieri’s latest creatures are especially vibrant, detailed and hilarious.  Wearing a striped bowtie, striped shirt, checkered jacket, green tortoise-shell glasses, all against a background of pastel squares, one creature stands proudly.  “He’s an art dealer in Chelsea,” Barbieri acknowledges.  Another animal, fully outfitted in a shirt and tie, has fallen asleep in a lounge chair while reading Anna Karenina.  “That’s a great book, but even I had to take some breaks while reading it,” Barbieri jokes.