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Saturday, September 5. 2015

John Grillo

I recently learned that artist John Grillo had died in December, aged 97. He worked in his studio until the day before he died. I knew last year that he didn't have long to go.


I have a couple of his watercolors, aiming for one more for my HQ before the prices get out of hand.  Met him a few times in his old age. Crusty, ornery old Cape Codder, eager to make money from his work. A stroke barely slowed him down.


Our friends at the Cove Gallery were nice enough to assemble a bunch of his Circus pictures for us to look at. A master colorist.








Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 04:56 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

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Polish "Cirque" posters are far better at both color and circus subject matter than this guy (RIP).

Pale pastels are NOT "circus" and what shows he indeed mastered "color"? Not these paintings certainly.

Was he a muralist for wealthy people's nurseries? Something to be painted over or removed when their children hit 8-9 years of age?
#1 Earl T on 2015-09-05 10:23 (Reply)
Sheesh. It's good stuff, trust me.
#1.1 Bird Dog on 2015-09-05 10:45 (Reply)
Not everyone responds to high key paintings. Many artists go through a high key stage at some point, and some stay with it. Most of the noted Cape Cod painters considered themselves painters of light (high key) and Grillo was no exception. He is best known for his abstract paintings which reflect his training under Hans Hofmann. Hofmann painted in a high key at times as well.
#1.2 MissyW on 2015-09-05 12:36 (Reply)
I was going to say these must be from his early period, when he was around six years old, but you beat me to it.
#1.3 a deakin on 2015-09-06 10:08 (Reply)
If you like it, all right. I wouldn't have that in my house.
Which, philosophically, is a good thing. If we all liked the same thing, the world would be a horrible place.
#2 BlogDog on 2015-09-05 19:38 (Reply)
OK. I love stuff like that.
#2.1 Bird Dog on 2015-09-06 11:01 (Reply)
The most important phrase in this post is, "eager to make money from his work." Obviously. This is art nearly devoid of quality, and shows little skill. It is quite representative of the main problems in modern art.

The second most important sentence is, I have a couple of his watercolors, aiming for one more for my HQ before the prices get out of hand." "A fool and his money are soon parted." An axiom which is best never to find oneself described by.

Art today is corrupted by the gallery system, and the "experts", really faux experts who together have created a system where cheap, low quality, low skill "art" indiscernible from my daughters 6 year old art is vaunted as incredible. It has become so ridiculous that Rauschenberg has a three panel painting, in all white, hanging at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It is essentially, three panels of bright white house paint on canvas. Who knew I was an artist?

Frankly, my daughters work is better in composition, color, depth, skill, and quality.

Ten minutes with a piece from any of the classical masters in comparison will leave you wondering how anyone could think otherwise. Or you can listen to the faux experts, the punters, waxing eloquent about the virtues of dreck.

Sorry, Bird Dog, I am not a fan. I am glad you have found something you like. Ultimately that is all that counts. But for me no Rothko's, Munch's, Picasso's, Warhol's, Rauschenberg's, or other modern dreck will hang my walls. (Dali had skill, but often seemed to waste it.) If I am going to own this level of art, I will stick to children who have a keen eye and who will sell it to me for an ice cream cone.

Mark Sherman
#3 Maddog on 2015-09-07 15:34 (Reply)

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