MOTIVATIONAL EXPRESSIONISM
Michael Ricigliano
December 6 to December 31, 2017
- PRESS RELEASE -
Lilac Gallery New York is pleased to present “Motivational Expressionism” an exhibition of works by Michael Ricigliano. A dynamic collection of abstract expressionistic paintings exploring storytelling on unique surfaces such as ceramic and marble, paired with Inspirational Quotes of a life-changing speaker and bestselling author Steve Maraboli from December 6 to December 31, 2017.
Ricigliano finds that much like the world of film, painting plays a huge role in storytelling. He believes that a painting can reveal words, ideas, thoughts, and actions without the use of sound and moving picture. It is the stillness within the movement of paint that creates these stories and motivates us to challenge how a painting can communicate. By using abstracted, gestural lines, Ricigliano breathes a motivation into each piece, just as Jackson Pollock once said "It doesn't make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement." Ricigliano borrows this concept and enamored this body of work with bold brushwork and dynamic colors executed on new media such as ceramic and marble. Steve Maraboli, as a behavioral scientist, will be incorporating brilliant quotes to empower the philosophy behind every piece, helping the viewer to understand its true beauty and power.
The exhibition will be curated by Federico Castelluccio. Federico is a renown contemporary realist painter whose works have been exhibited throughout the US and Europe. His paintings are held in the most prestigious private and public collections, including Palazzo Chigi, Italy, Yale University Museum of Art, New haven, CT, Kresge Art Museum, East Lancing Michigan, and Tisch Fine Art Collection, NY. As an Actor Federico is best known for his role as the Neapolitan enforcer Furio Giunta in the HBO hit series, The Sopranos. As the Guest Curator Federico Castelluccio explains:
“In a short amount of time Michael Ricigliano has made a mark on the world stage as a professional screenwriter, film producer, playwright and now has taken the ultimate leap in the visual arts arena, baring his soul as a passionate abstract painter. His inaugural exhibition will feature more than a dozen new acrylic paintings on canvas, marble, and ceramic, which began from an inspiration and a deep desire to create his own singular language in abstract art. A self taught artist, Michael has developed a solid technique that explores the rhythm of movement and harmony of color, conveying visually balanced and pleasing compositions that are psychologically sophisticated and thought provoking. There is a depth and energy to these paintings that is immediately evident when viewing them in person, which will also feature a collaboration of inspiring quotes by the renown motivational speakerSteve Maraboli”.
Michael Ricigliano successfully balances two careers at once. In recent years he developed a career as an artist, writer, and film producer, while also still practicing law in Long Island, New York. He wrote and produced the feature length film, The Brooklyn Banker, directed by Federico Castelluccio, it stars Paul Sorvino, David Proval and Troy Garity. The Brooklyn Banker was released theatrically in 2016. Michael’s play A Queen for a Day, directed by John Gould Rubin, had a very successful run on the New York stage at the Theater at Saint Clements on West 46th Street in 2015. His second play, Phelan House, is set to begin production in the summer of 2018 and will also be directed by John Gould Rubin.
