The Abstract Art Paintings of Michael Rosenblatt
Artist Michael Rosenblatt segues between abstract art paintings and figurative work. Working out of his Carlsbad, California studio, he creates expressive paintings in primary and secondary colors, often fashioning whimsical shapes of stars, rainbows, fish and dragons. His canvases range from abstraction to landscapes, to still life’s, to depictions of animals, to large murals, in pencils, acrylics and oils.
Michael is enamored with post impressionism, with the artists' use of vibrant colors and revolutionary depiction of the world around them. He says, "Through their bold, specific brushstrokes, they expressed the constantly changing environment. They painted the energy, vibrations and movement of the water, of the landscapes and the sun."
In Junior High, a friend introduced him to graffiti art. "We traveled all over New York, looking at graffiti on trains, subways and buses, in train yards and on buildings. I loved the work, the primitive, symbolic nature of the pieces, the colors that jump out at you, the wild styles and self-expression."
Later, he moved to San Diego. "Living here made me want to express the many hues of the sky as it looks at sunrise and during the sunset. I love the ocean waves viewed from the cliffs and at the horizon over the ocean."
Francois Gilot
In high school, Michael worked with Francois Gilot, lover and muse of Pablo Picasso, and a prolific artist herself. Gilot taught him the elements of abstract art paintings, the importance of passion in art and the essence of composition and design. She encouraged him to express himself freely and spontaneously, particularly to use his passion for color.
He also studied with Joe Magniani, creator of illustrations for Ray Bradbury science fiction books. "Joe said that the first brushstrokes are the most important, that every painting is a series of shapes, of abstract shapes, and that the underlying composition determines the success or failure in the finished painting. And he tried to get me to stop overworking my paintings."
Five Murals
By his early twenties, Michael's technical skills earned him commissions for five murals. One depicts the changing of the seasons, moving from a cabin in the snow during a starry night to a scene of melting snow, culminating in a sunrise with spring light, flowing water and foliage at the far right of the work.
Another mural has a landscape of an outer space planet, including mountains, stars and space imagery, in supernatural colors. A third mural depicts a dome-like bubble in the sky with snow-capped mountains within that bubble and water flowing out of the bubble. This early work was inspired in part by Michael's admiration for the surrealistic paintings of Salvador Dali that he saw as a child.
He has also created several landscapes, some evoking those of 19th century impressionist painters, Renoir and Monet.
In his early thirties, based on his paintings of landscapes and animals, Michael traveled to Indonesia to produce original artworks. He captured the intensity of the equator, creating on canvas the spirit of life forms there, the tropical sun, the huge contrasts of bright light and darkly colored leaves, the exotic shapes of birds, the people often dressed in colors and shapes that echoed the landscape, and even the whooping sounds of birds.
About his abstract art paintings, Michael says, "Painting for me is a way of exploring new realities. I feel that I am the architect of new worlds. The adventure of creating and living within a work gives me great joy. Hopefully others can perceive this joy."
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