In 1909, at the age of 32, Joseph Stella had become so disenchanted by living in New York City, that he sought to move back to his native Italy.
Having originally come to the USA to study Medicine - Stella had dropped out of school around the age of 20 in order to pursue art as his profession.
But though the last decade or so had seen him gain work as a realist painter and as a highly talented magazine draughtsman. . . he constantly complained of New York’s “merciless climate” and “concrete cacophony”.
Thus, when he set sail for Europe again, he was fairly sure it would be a one way voyage.
Yet by 1913 - he found himself returning to New York once again. Only, this time, with a whole new vision for his art.
You see, Stella’s return to Italy had proven far less idyllic than he had hoped it would be - with far less opportunities for contemporary artists.
Thus, he had quickly ended up as an expat again . . . this time, moving to Paris, which was the epicentre of the art world in the early 1900s.
And it was here, while mixing amongst similar circles as Picasso, Matisse, Gertrude Stein and so many others, that Stella found an entirely new aesthetic world opening up to him
Yet, rather than staying in the thick of it all amongst Cubists, Surrealists, Futurists, and Fauvists . . . Stella couldn’t help wondering how these new ideals might help him to see his former home of New York in a whole new way.
Hence, only four years after his “final” departure - he returned once again, determined for things to be different.
Before this, he had always looked at the concrete city around him through realist eyes - i.e as something brutal, or heavy, or lacking in grace.
Whereas now, he found a way of seeing “through” these things . . . creating a kind of kaleidoscopic vision which still captured all the pace and energy of a city that was changing at breakneck speed.
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Suddenly, he saw how buildings could be painted as flowers.
Or how electric lights could be painted like stained glass windows.
And while Stella’s paintings of the city are among his better known works . . . personally, I think it is in his florals, still life paintings, and later religious works where he really sets himself apart as an artist.
In the work above, we see how his style takes on a sculptural weight and a bold colouring that even the great Paul Cezanne would have been proud of.
While in the three paintings below, we see yet another side to Stella’s art . . . this time, combining the altarpieces of the Italian renaissance with a luscious array of fruits, flowers and birds.
Strangely, these ambitious new works never gained Stella anywhere near the attention he deserved. And in fact, towards the end of his life, he complained that he could “hardly induce a single person in New York” to view his exhibitions.
But of course - we all know how often this can be the case with art history. Sometimes, it takes more than just one lifetime for an artist to receive the recognition their talent merits.
And so, while he is still nowhere near as well known as he should be - I really do hope the Joseph Stella’s work continues to see a revival in the years to come.
For his breadth of creativity, painterly skill, and visionary soul . . . he is more than worthy of being seen as one of the best artists that New York has ever produced.
As many of you know; for the month of September, Art Every Day is proud to be partnering with JC Gallery - the leading dealers in American Modernism.
And incidentally, JC Gallery are experts in Joseph Stella’s work too. (Though rest assured, this feature was my own choosing and not written under any specific commission)
So, if you would like to see more of Stella’s work, or check out any of the other wonderful artists in their gallery, please do click the banner below to visit their site.
Their current exhibition is on another New York based artist from the early 20th century called Abraham Walkowitz. And they have a really great selection of other works too - well worth exploring more if you are a fan of Modernism in general.
Some days I feel really out of step with the world around me. I think Joseph Stella might have had a touch of that. There are some days where either the music the art or just the vibe of a place doesn't work with you.
So when he revisits perhaps with a new mindset and maybe the ability to add or change to the vision of a place it's satisfying. I'll take a page from his book and try to do the same.
I nearly didn't read this... concrete....New York city....put me off but now I'm glad I did. His pictures look like church stained glass windows. Yes,sometimes the place where you ARE can be the place YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE when something makes you see it in a new light.