Featured Artist Eric Armusik

Artist Eric Armusik presents powerful and richly detailed figurative works painted in the classical style. View more of his art by visiting his website.

 

 

I’m a classical figurative artist. I create realist paintings that reflect the spirit and passionate storytelling of the Old Masters.

 

 

As a child, it was very evident I possessed a unique gift and this gift allowed me to escape into a different world where love and extraordinary things were real and possible. Art became a therapy for me and a way to define and soothe myself.

 

 

Living in a small, blighted city where no museums or culture existed was a challenge –the only artistic solace and inspiration I found was in the old Gothic church my family attended on Sunday. I spent many hours staring at all the paintings decorating the ceilings and walls.

 

 

Until college, everything I did artistically was self-directed. When I was accepted into the painting program in college, a whole new world opened up for me. I knew then that this was what I was meant to do.

 

 

I spent an entire semester in Italy studying artists like Caravaggio. This experience quickly shifted my artistic direction into focus. Though I was discouraged by my professors to pursue Old Master styled work, my passion for mythological and religious-themed work could not be diminished.

 

 

Classical realist art is not only important but also necessary to elevate, record and magnify the sublime events in our lives. It has the unique ability to encapsulate our brief, but powerful, moments for all eternity so we can revisit that elation, passion or tranquility whenever we desire.

 

 

It’s a powerful tool that without the use of words, expresses the deepest, most passionate and emotional aspects of the human experience. Whether it’s a romantic tragedy, a beautiful sunset or the ethereal moment between two passionate lovers, classical realism allows us to bask in that feeling over and over again. For over twenty-five years this passion has inspired my dramatic figurative paintings.

 

 

In September 2016, I began my largest project to date—painting forty large 4’ x 5’ panels of Dante’s Inferno with the assistance of renowned Dante Scholar, Christopher Kleinhenz. A book of the paintings, along with in-depth narratives by Professor Kleinhenz, will be published once the series is completed. When this series is completed it will be exhibited in a large museum exhibition. It will be the most epic series on the Inferno ever created.

 

 

My figurative paintings have been exhibited in the Salmagundi Art Club and the National Arts Club in New York and numerous galleries in the United States. My artwork has been featured in such publications as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Art Magazine and Victorian Homes to name a few.

 

 

It is my desire to continue the grand tradition of creating lasting and memorable paintings just as the great masters did hundreds of years ago. I hope that my efforts toward this goal and the training of current and future artists will build a lasting monument to this classical tradition.

 

Artist Eric Armusik invites you to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

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