Page 35

BM042015

Story and Photos by Bradley Hawks If you have ever strolled down 30th Avenue, you have probably noticed Gabriele Perici perched at an easel, painting fantastical men and women with sparkling eyes on oversized heads, wearing dizzying patterns set upon surreal cityscapes or inside homes seemingly plucked from some untold fairytale. He is there most days of the week, painting away meticulously, as if lost in a trance. But if you stop and ask him if you can speak, he will momentarily pause, as if carefully withdrawing himself from the world of his painting. That is when you will inevitably be pierced by his eyes, from which glimmer a thousand different hues of blue, like the sky and the ocean being flashed at you from some inner beacon. In that moment you will also know that you are in the presence of a magically talented artist—because eyes do not twinkle the way his do unless they are concealing a spirit of frenzy, whim, bold imagination, and unprecedented creativity. Perici was born in New York, but raised in Italy since the age of eleven. He then studied in France, and returned to New York in his twenties. His work can be viewed at Astoria Art & Custom Framing, where he paints regularly, working on both commissioned and personal pieces. When asked of any familial history in the arts, Perici replies, “My mother was a musician, and so was my grandfather—and 36 | BOROMAG.COM | APRIL 2015 my uncle was a very famous actor in Italy. But my brother is an engineer.” Though he undeniably spent instrumental years in Europe, he still relates with America in the ways that matter most. “American people aren’t like our politicians. American people are the most generous and beautiful people.” In response to previous artists who provide inspiration, he says, “I like Max Ernst, and I love the Germans from the 1950s. I like Modigliani. The Roman Renaissance, too. There are so many. But my biggest influence? I would say Otto Dix. I love Otto Dix.” Perici primarily works with heavy-duty acrylic, providing his work with incredible depth and texture. Because of the amount of commissions he receives, along with the quantities of pieces he produces, the fast-drying acrylic allows him more time than he would have working with oils. “I cannot wait twenty to thirty days for one color to set,” laughs the artist. “Each painting would take eight or nine months.” Born in 1965, Perici now estimates he has completed between four and five thousand paintings. “My first show was when I was fourteen,” he explains. When asked when he first knew he was gifted with something special, he shrugs, and his cheeks turn pink. Modestly, he replies, “Oh, uh, no—I just paint.” THE ARTS Just


BM042015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above