John Aquilino at Neptune
by Souheil Chemaly
Bethesda Art Blog
November 23, 2008
How fitting!. A couple of weeks after America elects for the first time in a while, an Urban dweller to be its president, after America came to the realization that people living in cities are real American, after America really understood the challenges of global climate change and that cities are possibly the greenest way of living, Neptune shows the urban landscapes of John Aquilino. America's cities are coming back, in force it seems.
John Aquilino is a master at playing mind games with the viewers. It starts with the titles of his works: "White circle", "P8", "Red Doorway" all forcing you to look harder and harder into the painting trying to find what the reference in the title is all about. And then the Eureka moment, when you finally find the "white circle" and the "P8" sign and the "red doorway".
Now with a sense of achievement, you take a step back and admire the work of a man who undeniably is in love with cities. He has to be. The sharp lines, bright colors, almost obsessive attention to details are the works of someone who wants to leave nothing to chance, nothing for interpretation, he wants you to see cities exactly like they are: Ventilator shafts, chimneys, No Parking signs, and makes you wonder how you could you not see the beauty in all of this.
While images of people are conspicuously absent, their fingerprints are all over. What more than buildings as signs of human spirit and genius. But look more closely you will see here and there, asymmetric blinds and curtains showing that humans are indeed part of the intricate fabric of these cities.
Aquilino's attention to details and obsessive work is nowhere more on display than in his collages. The artist apparently did not get the memo on collages being a more "frivolous" form of art, less structured and less disciplined. He actually reconstructs some of the oil paintings using small paper cuts. Seen from a distance, you would not think that they are in fact collages. As evidenced by this image of collage 4, it is really "white circle" reproduced with paper cuts. It is brilliant.
Reasonably priced, these fantastic art works were selling very fast on opening night yesterday. If you want to start a collection or add Aquilino's work to your already existing collection, you better hurry.