Vincent Baldassano: To Be Continued….at the Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Vincent Baldassano: To Be Continued. Curated by Joel Leneker, the installation is comprised of new works on cloth and iconic works from the 1970s through 2022.
This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT, from June 16 through July 22, 2022 with a reception on Thursday, June 16 from 5:30-7:30 pm. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Please visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.
Baldassano developed his Banner series beginning in 2012 after visiting the Castello Chiaramontano in the small Sicilian town of Racalmuto. On view were a series of church standards made by members of the congregation for religious processions. This display brought back strong memories of similar banners that he saw during his childhood on Staten Island growing up in a predominantly Italian neighborhood.
Later that year, he returned to Italy as a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome, where he also had a studio. At the end of his residency, Baldassano held a studio exhibition of these new works on cloth. The banners, made of Italian linen, were tacked directly to the wall. Equally appealing to the artist, an avid traveler, was the ease of transporting these banners which were light, sturdy and could be rolled up and carried in a suitcase. He continued to produce these banners on subsequent trips to Rome and Portugal.
In 2019, at the start of the pandemic, when staying home replaced traveling abroad, Baldassano returned to painting landscapes inspired by the natural beauty of his immediate surroundings. Concurrently, he started to incorporate his collages, photos and drawings to create monotypes on the cloth.
These banners are created through a dye-sublimation process, that is, a computer printing method that uses heat to transfer dye) to create monotypes. He installed these banners in the woods near his studio, making note of the transparency of the material, the effects of natural light, and the way they moved.
Earlier works showcase his progression from figuration to abstraction, invigorated by expressive and seductive color. Shaped canvases, sculptures, and paintings on canvas chronicle his life experiences, punctuated by mysterious symbols and invented ancient places that map his visual journey.
Vincent Baldassano lives and works in Oxford, Connecticut. Recently retired art professor at Gateway Community College, he holds a B.F.A. from Wagner College, and an M.F.A. from the University of Oregon. His work has been exhibited throughout the New England, New York, Italy, and Portugal
About Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. The museum’s collection offers the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Caption For Photo Above: IMM, Acrylic on cutout canvas, 48x84, 1974.
Caption For Photo Right: Mist on Zoar, Monotype, dye sublimation on polyester fabric, 80x60, 2021