Signs of Life
Artist Talks at 6 pm
Opening Reception October 5th
Runs though December 21st
James Brantley, Been to the Mountain Top, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inches.
Valerio D'Ospina, SW view, 2024. Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches.
Signs of Life will proudly display the newest works by celebrated Philadelphia-based artists James Brantley and Valerio D'Ospina.
Two Couples, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
James Brantley has created a selection of landscape/cityscapes and interior works that showcase the people, buildings, and spirit of Philadelphia in a way that is completely unique and wholly relatable.
Brantley was born in Philadelphia in 1945 and began his study of art in 1963 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). In September 1964, Brantley was drafted in the United States Army to serve in Vietnam until he was honorably discharged in 1966. Brantley quickly resumed his art career graduating from PAFA in 1971 then continuing his studies of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania in 1972.
James Brantley achieved early success with traditionally rendered oil paintings, but it was his explorations with acrylic paint in the 1980s that set the pace for his future. The immediacy of his new medium was conducive to his studio practice while the crisp silhouettes and bright bold color provide a cool and edgy quality that has become his signature style. His unique perspective and compositions uplift and invite the viewer to explore the surreal spaces he creates.
Brantley's sought-after works are included in numerous public and private collections including the Woodmere Art Museum, James A. Michener Art Museum, PAFA and the US Department of State Collection in Sierra Leone. PAFA acquired his debut work, "Brother James (1968), " in 1970 after the famous Pennsylvanian realist painter, Andrew Wyeth, admired it. Brantley received many awards for his work, including the Hallgarten Prize from the National Academy of Design and the Louis Fine Purchase Award from PAFA.
Tornando a casa, 2024. Oil on canvas, 24 x 17 inches.
Valerio D'Ospina presents a series of kinetic landscapes that position the viewer at the center of the action and expedite introspection.
Valerio D’Ospina was born in Taranto, Italy in 1980. In 1999, he received an artistic diploma from Liceo Artistico Statale “Lisippo” in Taranto. In November of that same year he moved to Florence to further his artistic studies. In 2003, he moved to Paris where he studied firsthand the masterpieces of his favorite artists.
Upon his return from Florence, D'Ospina began to work in an antique‐painting restoration studio with the restorer Maurizio Bazzini. In 2005, after preparing an experimental thesis in the study of “fisiognomica”, Valerio graduated with a degree in Painting. Since July 2009 Valerio is established in US where he lives and works and is ranked by several distinguished art magazines, both national and international, as one of the most significant painters of cityscapes and industrial scenarios living and working in the US.
"Throughout Europe and from American coast to coast, Valerio D'Ospina's oil paintings have been recognized for actualizing what many have attempted, and few have achieved, expertly capturing the metropolitan pulse." - Art Daily
"We've seen cityscapes in many different ways — photos, videos and sketches – and now we're seeing cityscapes in a whole new way. Using oil on canvas, artist Valerio D'Ospina paints up blurry, yet sometimes surprisingly detailed cityscapes and urban scenes that portray the life and vivacity of modern, dramatic cities." - Design Milk
"D'Ospina's oil paintings are truly masterful. D'Ospina's talent is no surprise, as he's been on the creative scene since 1999" - Juxtapoze
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Together, these two creators explore both the tangible and imagined manifestations of life in the City of Brotherly Love; thoughtfully reflecting on the interactions that shape and sustain urban existence.
Visit the Philadelphia gallery and see these captivating and introspective works for yourself. Words cannot replace the viewing experience.