J. Steven Manolis (b. 1948-)
Black & White (Graphic), 2020
Acrylic and Latex Enamel on canvas
72 x 60 inches
Framed Dimensions: 74.25 x 62.25 x 3.50 inches
This series has hand painted circles placed on a three dimensional colorfield in muted earth colors, often in some combination of greiges. This was inspired by the 2020 Covid pandemic which brought a year of darkness in peoples’ lives. It represents finding peace and order within the chaos and darkness.
The brush painting of the circles’ edges with hand precision, harkens back to the first generation minimalists Barnett Newman and Ellsworth Kelly.
J. Steven 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). He is known for his ability to paint in both very large scale (34 feet) and small scale.
Manolis paints many different series of paintings which emphasize communication through colors. He employs color-fields, gestures, geometrics, and other symbols to express his perspective of his surroundings.