“The Journey is what makes it truly exciting” BRUNO SURDO

Bruno Surdo, "A Selfie, A Pink Unicorn, Paparazzi! What does it take to get noticed?" oil on canvas, detail

When I first met Bruno Surdo, he was a professor of illustration and animation at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Back then, his reputation for flawlessly rendering the human form was common knowledge. Not until roughly 2014 did I have an opportunity to experience his massively complex figurative canvases which referenced his personal impressions of contemporary society. That exhibition was presented at the Ann Nathan gallery in Chicago. Since the closing of the iconic Ann Nathan Gallery in 2016, Bruno Surdo has been represented by Nathan’s colleague Victor Armendariz, owner of Gallery VICTOR.

Bruno Surdo, "A Selfie, A Pink Unicorn, Paparazzi! What does it take to get noticed?" oil on canvas 79 x 108"

This past Saturday afternoon, as part of the Chicago Exhibition Weekend 2023, Gallery VICTOR presented an artist talk with Bruno Surdo—highlighting the artist, his process, and marking the conclusion of Surdo’s current exhibition. The exhibition offered both the massive compositions of interacting figures—imagery that Surdo has become known for—as well as a few amazingly intimate portraits, seemingly sketches for inclusion into larger canvases. It’s these brilliant studies that I gravitate toward. 

Bruno Surdo, "Reflection" oil on canvas 30 x 24"

“Reflection” offers the viewer a quiet moment to get lost in beautifully painted patterns of texture and surface. This single-figured portrait captures the interest of the observer by repeatedly offering new and exciting details to explore. With the subtle highlights falling upon the subject’s sensual lips and eyelashes, to the detailed complexity of her hair, “Reflection” ensnares the viewer into a corner of the mind where time becomes irrelevant. Even the background creates brilliant secondary interest with a uniquely random pattern, which Surdo explained, was inspired by the observation of aluminum foil.

As Surdo discussed his inspirations and process, he shared that the preliminary drawings for each painting are key to the final work. He defined stacks of renderings for a single canvas—and that the drawings are resolved on the canvas before beginning to paint. He also pointed out that, if an area of a painting wasn’t working, he had no problem wiping it away and beginning again. As he put it... “The Journey is what makes it truly exciting.”

Although the exhibition has concluded, works by Bruno Surdo are still available through Gallery VICTOR located at 300 West Superior Street, Chicago IL 60654. Gallery VICTOR is open Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 5pm. Learn more at www.galleryvictor.com

BRUNO SURDO (b. 1963, Chicago)
Bruno A. Surdo is a true native of Chicago. He studied drawing and art history and pursues the mastery of the human form with inspiration from the Renaissance masters. His provocative works center around the human condition and are known for their allegorical imagery. Bruno has had numerous shows and commissions, and his work is held in many prestigious art collections around the world. He lectures often and is a teacher who believes in nurturing others. The artistic forms he has created are images that communicate a personal commentary on the issue or question in mind. These shapes are then arranged in a pictorial space using the human form. Surdo strives to communicate a message to the viewer - to engage the person in a conversation between what he puts forth and what he or she can then interpret. The interchange of response and curiosity are goals the artist set when composing his ideas. Surdo believes art is a continual form of expression and he feels committed to search for a language that brings his thoughts and feelings to the surface.

Corinna Button - Interfaces

Through this Sunday…

There are only a few days before the conclusion of “Interfaces” … Corinna Button’s exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center. If you haven’t yet experienced Button’s work, now is the time. 

Presented in the Cleve Carney Gallery of the Hyde Park Art Center located at 5020 S. Cornell Avenue—in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood—Button Presents a series of both two and three-dimensional works that interpret the multifaceted experience of being a woman. 

Referencing the Cubist movement and utilizing the female form as muse, Button’s treatment of the subject often incorporates multiple angles at once—suggesting the paradox of femininity and a multifaceted existence. Utilizing layered materials with embedded textures and scratched surfaces; she alludes to the encrusted complexities of a woman's reality. With a twisted dichotomy, each painting, print and sculpture addresses the beauty that women expose to the world—with fashion and pageantry—but the work also exposes the veiled layers of a darker reality. 

This is a “must see” exhibition. The Hyde Park Art Center is located at 5020 S. Cornell Avenue in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. For additional information visit hydeparkart.org.

About CORINNA BUTTON
Influenced by German Expressionism, interdisciplinary artist Corinna Button seamlessly incorporates printmaking techniques into her paintings and ceramic sculptures. She has had more than twenty solo exhibitions and has been featured in numerous group shows and fairs across the world, including Artists Interpret Shakespeare at Elmhurst Art Museum (Elmhurst), and Chicago Invasion at Blue Rider Gallery (Taipei, Taiwan). Her artwork can be found in the public collections of the BBC, The University of Aberystwyth and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Button completed the Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center, where she reignited her interest in new techniques and forms in clay. While in Chicago (2010-2016), her practice was rooted in a studio at Zhou B Art Center. She holds a BA (honors) in painting from Leeds Metropolitan University School of Art and a postgraduate degree in printmaking from Croydon School of Art. She is an elected member of The Royal Society of Painters and Printmakers, London and currently lives and works in London, UK.

Roland Kulla ~ ZIA Gallery

St. Charles Air Line, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 60” x 40”

Save the Date: Saturday June 8, 5-7pm

For the past twelve years, Chicago painter Roland Kulla, has focused his attention on the complex structures of bridges. With an obsession for detail, his work has evolved from hyper real imagery depicting idealized nuts and bolts to the current exhibition of hyper real and gritty functional railroad bridges.

Roland Kulla began his career as a fine artist in the late 90’s after more than thirty years as a caseworker, administrator, researcher, teacher and consultant. His early paintings focused on the heightened reality of the mundane—causing the viewer to take a second look at an object that would typically go unnoticed.

 Fast Slow, 2003, oil on canvas, 36" x 40"

In 2003, the paintings progressed to consider the element of “rust”… the slow rot of the massive bridges. Time became a visual element within the work. Kulla utilized environment, blurred backgrounds, and the decay of previously hard edge metal forms. He defined the rust images as metaphor for his personal aging process as well as  making reference to the politics of the period.

By 2005, Kulla was working on a series of paintings that focused on tightly cropped bridge details with no true up or down. Most of the “Deco” images were produced so that they could be hung to the owner’s liking.

After 2005, Kulla began to explore bridge cities beyond Chicago. In 2006 he produced a series based on the bridges of Boston, 2007; New York, and 2008; Pittsburgh. By 2010 he created “Urban Patterns” an exhibition of paintings focusing on the bridges of New York and New Jersey. And by 2011; Berlin was the subject.

Tegeler II, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 60" x 45"

Roland Kulla's new body of work begins an exploration of railroad bridges. Kulla explains:

“…In contrast to transportation bridges—where civic pride usually requires elements of conventional architectural beauty—the railroad bridge is all about function. It has to be strong enough to carry the heavy weight of loaded trains. Movable railroad bridges add another layer of complexity. This focus on solving a problem with maximum efficiency results in some amazing forms. They do not need to look pretty; they just need to get the job done.”

RR: New works featuring railroad bridges by Roland Kulla will be presented at ZIA Gallery from June 8 through July 20, with and opening reception on Saturday, June 8th from 5-7pm. ZIA Gallery is located at 548 Chestnut St., Winnetka, IL 6009. Parking is free and abundant.

847.446.3970 • ZIAgallery.net

Allan Gorman ~ Hyperreal at Gallery 180

Allan Gorman, Blue Button, Oil on Panel, 18" x 18", 2012

The work of Allan Gorman was the inspiration and starting point for the creation of the "Hyperreal" exhibition currently on display at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Gorman's work scrutinizes the beauty found in mechanical objects. Gorman explains…

“I look for interesting shapes to explore form, composition, color, texture and emotion. And, although the subject matter demands to be rendered with an increasing degree of precision, my goal is not so much to faithfully replicate objects as it is to distill what I’ve seen into visual stories that resonate and stir memories. I'm looking to abstract, and present a powerful design - whether the viewer chooses to interpret them as representational paintings or not.”

Gorman's work is joined by that of K. Henderson, Carl Holzman and Roland Kulla in an exhibition that is sure to impress viewers through technical excitation and unique compositional presentation. It's worth a visit...

Hyperreal will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through February 28, 2013 with previews beginning on Monday, January 14th. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, January 18 from 5:30-7:30 pm. All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com

Brooklyn-born, Allan Gorman (1947) is a self-taught painter who brings his strengths as an internationally decorated graphic designer to artworks that certainly reflect his own unique and distinctive brand. Soaring chrome exhaust pipes set on a stark blue sky, mirrors that reflect the geometries of industry, a macro trip inside clockworks – hard angles, strong colors and carefully thought through compositions permeate his work which has been seen in dozens of gallery and museum shows and private collections in both the US and Europe. In 2011, Gorman was awarded a resident fellowship to Vermont Studio Center, and work has been featured in International New Painting Annual 2, America Art Collector, Transportation Today and Poets & Artists Magazine. Gorman currently resides in Montclair, NJ.
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Roland Kulla ~ Hyperreal at Gallery 180

Roland Kulla, C&O Canal II, Oil on Canvas, 36" x 48", 2012

Roland Kulla is one of four painters included in "Hyperreal" at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The exhibition presents imagery of objects, selectively-composed and realistically-rendered to intensify their visual impact.

Kulla, a Chicago resident, has been painting bridges—or segments of bridges—for more than two decades. His paintings have been presented on the main stage art scene with recent solo exhibitions in Berlin and New York. Created in the last few months, three new Roland Kulla paintings are included in Hyperreal at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. In discussing his work, Kulla elaborates… 

“I’ve used bridges as my primary inspiration for the last twenty years. Based in Chicago, I began my exploration with the world’s largest collection of bascule bridges. In 2006, I began to branch out to other “bridge cities” including Boston, New York City, and Pittsburgh. In 2011, I explored the bridges in Berlin, Germany.

I select certain design elements and eliminate background context in order to emphasize form. The details of massive structures reveal the many individual components. What may appear to be a random arrangement of bolts and rivets has, on close inspection, a rigidly patterned logic. Abstracted from their surroundings, the bridges take on new aspects. Some look dangerous, others elegant. The forms are presented in “natural” bridge colors in bold contrast to the voids that they span. They float in light that plays across the surface details. The variations can be simple or elaborate, ranging from limited themes of a few notes to grand, fugal extravaganzas.

The subjects are painted to look “real”, but this is a deliberate illusion. I paint an idealized version of reality on a scale that allows the viewer to enter into the structure and appreciate the monumentality of the form.”

Hyperreal will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through February 28, 2013 with previews beginning on Monday, January 14th. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, January 18 from 5:30-7:30 pm. All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com

Roland Kulla lives and paints in Chicago. Recent exhibitions include “Berlinier Liste” ARTexhibitionLink, Berlin, Germany, “Urban Patterns” at George Billis Gallery, New York, and inclusion in the Rockford Art Museum Biennial. Kulla is represented by George Billis Gallery in New York, ZIA Gallery in Winnetka, IL, and James Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA.

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HYPERREAL: Reception this Friday

On Friday, January 18^th, Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago will host a catered reception for Hyperreal, an exhibition of paintings created by four nationally recognized artists, selectively-composing and realistically-rendering objects to intensify their impact. The exhibiting artists are K. Henderson, Carl Holzman, Allan Gorman, and Roland Kulla.

Hyperreal will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through February 28, 2013 with previews beginning on Monday, January 14th. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, January 18 from 5:30-7:30 pm. All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com
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Schiff and Tansley at Gallery 180

Foreground: Valerie Schiff, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", stoneware, 20" x 11" x 11", $2,800

This past weekend, I installed the Valerie Schiff and Jim Tansley exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Being the fishbowl that it is—with great exposure to both Lake Street and Wabash—the installation was repeatedly interrupted by interested passersby. Inquisitive patrons would wonder into the gallery to get that “first look” at the work… even though it was still resting on the floor—awaiting final placement. The numerous conversations resulted in a commission for Schiff and a probable sale for Tansley.

But then again, it’s expected… the show is amazing. The included work is a mixture of Schiff’s passionate figure studies in stoneware, and abstract figures in bronze, combined with Tansley’s boldly painted colorful abstractions and elegant charcoal drawings… all inspired by nature. It’s a peaceful exhibition… and one that shouldn’t be missed.

The paintings of Jim Tansley and the sculpture of Valerie Schiff will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through August 30. A public reception will take place on Friday, August 3 from 5:30-7:30 pm.  All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com.

Foreground: Jim Tansley, "Dialog of Hemispheres", acrylic on canvas, 48" x 72", $6,500

Tom Torluemke ~ Save the Date

I first became aware of Tom Torluemke’s work while attending a dinner party at a friend’s home. Looking at two large canvases in the host’s personal collection, I was intrigued. I was introduced to the artist at another social event, which allowed me an opportunity to connect a face with the work that had captured my interest. It seemed obvious to me that we would be working together in the future. Since then, I kept Torluemke's work on my short list for exhibiting at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. A few weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to visit with Torluemke at his amazing home and studio in Indiana.

Torluemke is an intriguing artist. After showing me around his space, we sat in his studio and talked about the work. We eventually began exploring the stacks of paintings, which surrounded us.

Torluemke’s canvases are composed of multiple-layered components. Surreal in a dreamlike collage of imagery—one element melting into the next—the work thrusts the viewer into an environment of psychological and social commentary. Torluemke's aesthetic transcends the concrete and allows for a fully developed voice within the context of his concern for truth and expressions of deep emotion, feeling and spirituality.

The work of Tom Torluemke will be on exhibit at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago from July 26 through August 31. A reception is scheduled for Friday, August 5, 5:30-7:30. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop. The exhibition is free and all works are available for purchase. Save the date... It's going to be an amazing show!
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Roland Kulla ...Wonderfully Obsessive

Generally speaking, I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. But I recently began a 15-week sabbatical from my teaching duties at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, and what I've found is that I'm beginning to "catch up" with all of the things that I would try to accomplish while handling a rather intense schedule. So... I was sitting in front of my laptop trying to identify the next task to be addressed, and I realized that there was nothing immediately pending. Already at my laptop, I decided to spend some time exploring the numerous web sites which I've bookmarked in the past year or so... most of them containing works by artists that I wanted to review. And then I came across the site of an old friend.

I've known Roland Kulla for roughly fifteen years... basically from the beginning of his career as a fine artist. His work is amazing. His passion for the steel structure of a bridge is obvious. On his web site he declares "...I am fascinated by the functional dynamism of the bridge form. On the most fundamental level, the materials are arranged by engineers to get a job done. There is a rigid logic in the arrangement of bolts and girders... But while we use them, we don't usually stop to "see" them. I find beauty in this mundane reality and express it in my work."

Over the years, Kulla's work has become more and more obsessively detailed. His compositions have evolved to include hidden—or at least subtle implications of—secondary content. Kulla's love and passion for painting light, and the way that it changes in the evening sky, is an extra benefit for the viewer. Take a moment to review his web site. And if you have an opportunity to view the work in person, you won't be disappointed. You may be able to see some of these paintings this May at Art Chicago... most likely presented by the George Billis Gallery out of New York. Roland Kulla... Wonderfully Obsessive... And yes, the above image is a painting!

Image: "Riverside Parkway" 60 x 40" Acrylic on Canvas, 2007