EARLY WORKS AND STUDY George Vranesh 9/15/07

The modern European and American painters were large influences
when I attended the Art Student’s League in New York City.
Contemporary art was everywhere. The atmosphere of the League was
unique in its relatively open structure. Students meeting in the
cafeteria and in class was an important part in the formation of
ideas and practice of art. My guess is that during that
time I would average at least one revelation a week on the nature and
practice of art.

We looked for a variety of sources for information
about past and present traditions in art. For me, a very close reading
of Ozenfant’s Foundations of Modern Art. Earlier in college my class
study and reading was likely to be more philosophical.

In the Will Barnet class I attended at the League, we looked for
ways to communicate thoughts and concepts among ourselves, about the
paintings themselves, the ideas of relationships between shapes and
colors, such as the “push and pull” of shapes and colors, the way
the eye might move or be drawn across a painting and above all, emphasis on
the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Handshakes and congratulatory
remarks when seeing each other’s work were not uncommon. Barnet
himself might offer a handshake, congratulations and at another time say,
“You’ve done it again,” while always offering encouragement and
often some direction. We visited the art galleries and the museums in the
city. One of my favorites was the Downtown Gallery and its showings of
Stuart Davis.

My study and practice of the graphic arts was at the Pratt
Graphics Center in Manhattan under Arnold Singer, who became a close
friend. The atmosphere was relaxed, very much as it was at the Art
Student’s League. In these classes, as in the League, the mix of
attendees was wide both in age and experience. Of course, all of these
experiences were carried daily to one’s own studio and the studios
of friends.

It is fortunate or unfortunate that I now work in acrylic and
the early works were done in oil, otherwise I would probably do some
reworking on more than a few of the works.

-GEORGE VRANESH