Anthony Clementi, Mask Marks No.2, 2020

Anthony Clementi, Mask Marks No.2, 2020

Acrylic

2020

Artist Statement

Since 2011 my paintings have focused on Catastrophic events. People in PPE, Tyvek Suits, goggles, and face masks have been part of the vocabulary of my work. All my paintings have begun with GoogleTrending Images.

Never did I realize then that a shortage of PPE would be a crisis, itself. On a trip to Florence in 2016, I became interested in the many Portraits in the Pitti Palace and other cultural sites. I began to see the narrative possibilities of Portraits and single figures. Those initial observations inform my present work.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic began in March, I sought images that would help the viewer see beyond the cascade of “information” that streamed at us from all directions. My method broadened to include suggestions from Facebook friends so that the images included here are a form of collaboration between the cultural consciousness of the moment and the artist.

Anthony Clementi

copyright, Anthony Clementi

painting