Witkin & Weiss: Wonderful Demands
Ro2 Art is proud to present a joint exhibition by artists Jerome Witkin and Robert Weiss entitled Witkin & Weiss: Wonderful Demands. The culmination of a decades-long mentorship and friendship between the two painters, the show serves as a retrospective of Witkin’s painting career and showcase new works by Weiss.
Jerome Witkin and Robert Weiss first met at Syracuse University while Weiss was pursuing a Master of Fine Arts under Witkin’s instruction. The artists connected over their mutual appreciation for old masters, techniques of figurative painting, and depicting over looked aspects of the human experience. A realist figurative painter, Witkin’s works focus on social issues and depicts scenes inspired by real-life atrocities, namely the Holocaust. His art reflects his honest yet bleak outlook on our current society and the little hope he has for things to change in the future. Weiss’ art addresses similar issues yet his pieces are more abstracted and far more colorful creating a contrast within his work which further accentuates the historical artifacts depicted. ‘Wonderful Demands’ exists to highlight the connection between the work by Witkin and Weiss; showing both the progression of their work as well as Witkin's influence on Weiss as his mentor. Showing works completed decades apart, the show provides a setting to consider how history is preserved, referenced, and commentated on in art.
Jerome Witkin was born in Brooklyn in 1939 to a Jewish father and Roman Catholic mother. Known for his realistic and politically charged paintings, Witkin’s artistry has been showcased in prestigious exhibitions worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. He is a retired Professor of Painting from Syracuse University. Weiss was born in Galveston in 1983, and currently resides in Dallas as the Painting and Filmmaking teacher at The Hockaday School. A teacher for over two decades, he has received recognition for his outstanding work, including the Lifetime Achievement and Teacher of the Year Award from Galveston Independent School District.
'Wonderful Demands' provides a unique opportunity to see a mentor's influence on their mentee. Interested in similar themes and narratives, Witkin and Weiss' art visually differ. While both artists introduce elements of pattern and at times their works appear to be made up of absurd scenes collaged together, the color palette and tone varies between the artists. The gallery is not divided by artist, instead their work alternates allowing audiences to compare and contrast the artists.
Witkin and Weiss view art as a way to capture an artist's insights, techniques, and the current climate. They are both deeply influenced by history which is evident in their work. Keeping the same color palette of an ancient marble sculpture, Weiss paints an abstracted background to complement the depictions of the painted relief of Dionysus and the Four Seasons. The missing fragments of some of the relief depiction creates a deeper contrast between what is historical and what is contemporary.
Robert Weiss, Dionysus and the Four Seasons, 2023 Oil on linen 33 1/2 × 80 in
When entering into the gallery, you a first met with Witkin's striking piece, "The Migrant." In his signature dark color palette, the work depicts a giant woman with a despondent expression as she looks down upon a human-sized child lying face down. This somber work references the current circumstances for migrants; their desperation and the dangers that come from trying to secure a better life. Her extreme size accentuates the woman's isolation within a stormy scene now that her child is gone.
Jerome Witkin, The Migrant, 2016 Oil on canvas
'The Gatekeeper' encapsulates Weiss' maximalist style as it depicts a surreal living room filled with nostalgic imagery. What is most intriguing is the figure in the center holding a purple rifle who appears to be a character straight out of a John Water's film. Despite the unhinged appearance of the woman, the bright purple of the rifle removes any threat of violence leaving her presence just slightly unsettling as she stands next to a floating deconstructed skeleton.
Robert Weiss, The Gatekeeper, 2021, 50x51, Oil on canvas
While the show mostly consists of Witkin's and Weiss' oil pieces, at the front of the gallery is a section dedicated to their works on paper. The works vary from ink to graphite to charcoal, yet still depict their deep and provoking scenes. These studies serve to show their range in medium as well as their progress throughout their career with some of these pieces being from earlier in Witkin's career.
