In this post we are spot-lighting two very special pieces from a series of work by artist Gregory Gioiosa.
In the late 1980's Gregory Gioiosa was the artist in residence at The Fresno Art Center and Museum. In 1989 Gregory created an installation in the main gallery of the Museum with a series of work titled "Atlantis is Calling." His asymmetric designs, bright day glow colors, overlapping line work, and brushed metal accents is a bold combination for an individual piece, but when shown together the consistent aesthetics of the series is truly stunning. Pictured below are images that compare the details of the two originals from this series that we're showcasing.
As was befitting with many of his ethereal inspirations, Gioiosa was intrigued by the mythology of the city of Atlantis and it's association with the Pleiades star constellation. In Plato's myth of Atlantis, the island city originated with Poseidon, the Greek god of water. The free flowing brushed metal that is seen in the two images above brings to mind the continual connection between Atlantis and the sea. According to the myth, Atlantis was the most beautiful island in the world, and it's people were the most advanced civilization with unparalleled technologies and modern architecture. The people of Atlantis built engineering feats including aqueducts, roadways and bridges. Gioiosa based the series of work on concentric circles, overlapping grid work and various other structural elements that were representative of the advanced Atlantean architecture. Pictured below are detail images that show Gioiosa's use of circles and patterning throughout both pieces.
After the Museum showcase of this series, Gregory Gioiosa entered Graduate school at the University of California Irvine. While earning his Masters of Fine Arts Degree at UCI, Gregory built upon the wall relief motif from his Atlantis series for the following 2 years. The wall relief work was very successful for Gioiosa and an important part of establishing a collector basis for his work in Southern California. As Gregory Gioiosa has continued to be showcased in galleries throughout the United States, his work has been collected internationally and is included in the permanent collections of several museums.
We're proud to have the opportunity to show these two original works from Gioiosa's 1989 Atlantis series. The image appearing on the left measures 66" tall by 89" long and sits 1.75" reliefed away from the wall. Hand signed, titled "Atlantis Series" and dated "89" on the back, this piece is currently available. The original pictured on the right measures 60" tall by 99" long and sits 2.5" reliefed away from the wall. Hand signed, titled "Atlantis Progression II" and dated "8-8-89" on the back, this original is currently available for $10,000. These large scale abstract wall relief works are exceptional examples of Gregory's creativity and craftsmanship as an artist. The city of Atlantis may be lost to mythology, but it's spirit is alive and well in Gregory Gioiosa's work.
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