Press Relsease

 

J. Cacciola • Gallery W is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition Past Meets Present: The Paintings of John C. Traynor. The exhibition will be on view Friday, March 2 - April 6, located at 35 Mill Street, Bernardsville, NJ 07924. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. All are welcomed to attend. A scheduled lecture coinciding with the exhibition will be announced at a later date. For more information on upcoming events, please contact J. Cacciola • Gallery W at 212-462-4646.

 

As a young artist, John C. Traynor was fascinated with the Old Masters, specifically Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Albrecht Durer. A pivotal moment for Traynor occurred when he discovered the influential work of George Inness: “There was a large show of Inness paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that I went to with my father when I was 18. He is one of the artists that still inspires me.” According to John C Traynor, “As I matured as an artist, I became interested in some of the American impressionist and Tonalist painters. Some of my favorites were Fredrick Mulhaupt, John F. Carlson and Edgar Payne.” Traynor’s defined brushstrokes hearken to Payne’s vivid landscapes.

 

Prior to World War I, many American artists went to Europe to paint and teach classes. After the war, artist colonies starting pop- ping up here in the United States, particularly in New Hope PA, Old Lyme CT, Cornish NH, Dublin NH and Ogunquit ME. Traynor comments: “These were of great interest to me and I studied many of these startup colonies of impressionist painters. I can relate to many of these artists because they painted En Plein Air as well as in studios lit by North Light, using the same principles of painting that I use.”

 

Traynor studied ne art at the Paier College of Art in New Haven Connecticut, starting at the age of 16. He studied painting at the Art Students League of New York, as a merit scholar, with Frank Mason, as well as landscape painting with Mason in Vermont. John followed his studies with Mason by spending a year studying sculpture in Italy. Traynor’s achievements as a sought-after contemporary artist include numerous awards including the Frank Dumont award from the Hudson Valley Art Association, and the Medal of Honor from the Salmagundi Club, of which he is an honorary member. Traynor was also inducted into the Delbarton School Hall of Honors and he has reached the level of Copley Master from the Copley Society of Boston.

 

This exhibition brings a fresh perspective to the historical significance not only of Modern art, but also of contemporary artists such as John C. Traynor, who keep these traditions alive through their own work. There are no clichés in Traynor’s work; only unadulterated aesthetic beauty left simply to be enjoyed and embraced for its quiet, unassuming simplicity.

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For all press inquiries, additional images and information, contact: 1-212.462.4646 or email info@jcacciolagallery.com.