Collection: J. Steven Manolis

J. Steven Manolis (b.1948-)

Manolis, is an American abstract expressionist artist who paints in both watercolors and acrylics on canvas. He studied for 30 years under the tutelage of world renown colorist and former student of Hans Hofman, Wolf Kahn (1927-2020). After 30 years of painting privately, he began his professional painting career in 2014.

Donald Kuspit, a leading art critic, would go on to write about Manolis, "When it comes to Color, and the intellectual pursuit of ‘Communicating Through Color,’ Wassily Kandinsky’s long-awaited heir-to-be is J. Steven Manolis, whose works signal an ebullient 21st-century renaissance of the long-absent glories of Abstract Expressionism.”

In Manolis' words, "My early artistic mission was to communicate through color, but I evolved by adding the use of symbols, geometric abstractions, and constructions. My working is very dynamic. I seek to create beautiful paintings that evoke a feeling, or a reaction from the viewer. My paintings usually have a strong implicit philosophical message, as well. As Hans Hoffman famously said: “The difference between a painter and an artist is a MIND!” Rest assures every single thing I paint as an artist has an element of intellect."

"The third element of my paintings is the interaction of my subconscious mind with the viewer’s. Each person may have a different experience with my paintings as his subconscious mind interacts with what is on the canvas."

"Moreover, at the micro level, because I paint in “layers," whether that be watercolor on paper, or vitreous acrylic on canvas, the process of every painting is governed by a waiting time period, from the drying of one layer to the application of the next.  So time, even if only measured in short increments – minutes and hours – also dictates every aspect of my painting (and therefore) life.  Yet, within this experience of time dominating everything, I am able to experience the transcendental feeling of timelessness when I paint." 

Manolis' early training in watercolor Color Field painting has translated to his acrylic paintings since he now uses the same techniques to achieve the translucent color layers with acrylic paints on canvas. His work is in the permanent collection of several museums and corporations.

Manolis is also a well-known philanthropist in the Arts, having served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the National Academy of Design in New York City and on the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Studio Center.