The Worker Series

Name/Title

The Worker Series

Entry/Object ID

2018.1

Description

In the late 1970s, Dean Gioia lived near off Highway 59 in Jefferson County in North Florida, He often photographed the farm workers tilling soil and tending to the large watermelon fields along the road. This piece is from the "Worker Series" and is executed in muted browns, grays, and creams. Gioia used his signature acrylic paint, but thinned it down to make the medium react more like watercolor. The finished piece is a dreamy landscape, reminiscent of Millet's "The Gleaners" from 1867 or Homer's "The Veteran in a New Field" from 1865. The artist's delicate brushwork creates a vague setting, the century unknown. The negative space between the trees in the background are almost abstract, a deliberate move by the artist to keep this painting ethereal.

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper, Acrylic Paint

Acquisition

Accession

2018.1

Source or Donor

Earl Morrogh and Judye McCalman

Acquisition Method

Donation

Credit Line

Earl Morrogh and Judye McCalman

Made/Created

Artist

Gioia, Dean

Date made

circa 1980

Dimensions

Height

22-1/2 in

Width

29-3/8 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Dean Gioia (b.1949) Dean Gioia lives in Tallahassee, Florida and is well known in the region for his ethereal landscapes and nocturnes. Gioia has exhibited widely in the Southeast in a career that spans four decades. Mr Gioia holds a B.E.A. from Florida State University. He is a Florida Fellowship recipient and his work is in hundreds of public and private collections including the Florida Museum of Natural History and Science, IBM, Barnett Bank, Florida State University, and the City of Tallahassee. He is particularly concerned with the interpretation of light and atmosphere. His paintings incorporate these elements “to bring the viewer to a moment where perhaps a glimpse beyond the veil of normal waking consciousness is possible.”

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

November 28, 2017