Brevard Art Museum Hosts James Michaels Exhibition

Wednesday, 05 March 2008 22:44

MELBOURNE, FL – The Brevard Art Museum will host James Michaels’ collection of large scale paintings that range in style from dramatic Italian Renaissance tableaus to colorful Pop Art using familiar American icons.  Allegorical and complex, Michaels’ subject matter includes religion, contemporary culture, social commentary and fun, fictional characters.  Sometimes whimsical and light, sometimes dark and haunting, his distinct variations in subject matter and technique show contrasting sides of life.
 
In 13 Men, painted on 6.5’ x 8’ canvas, Michaels realistically portrays 13 men, using a limited palette, each man vividly expressing different emotions and poses. The viewer is captured by both the scale and subject matter. In another series of images of fairy tale princesses Michaels uses wide, impressionistic brush strokes and bold colors on cherub-like forms with closed eyes. His technique and colors are equally enchanting.
 
About his art, Michaels has said, “When I paint, I strive to create balance and tension simultaneously in composition. I love order and I hate order. I want to compose yet deface. My work is always in conflict, creating tension in composition and emotion.”
 
James Michaels, born in 1945, moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1971.  Michaels has received numerous national and state of Florida fellowships, and his work was displayed in a one-person show at the Tampa Museum of Art.  He has earned awards for his art, including an AVA (Award in the Visual Arts) in 1986, an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Gasparilla Festival Best of Show in 1990.  
 
James Michaels will give a special guest lecture at the Brevard Art Museum on Friday, March 14 at 4 p.m. An opening reception will follow from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  
 
About the Museum

The Brevard Art Museum is a non-profit organization supported in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Brevard County through the Brevard Cultural Alliance; and by members of the Brevard Art Museum. -  1463 Highland Avenue in the Eau Gallie District of Melbourne. (321) 242-0737.

Visit : www.brevardartmuseum.org