Heavily influenced by early Modern American Art of the 19th century, the motivation behind Ivan Fortushniak’s recent work is his belief of the dire state of man and their need for what the Gospel offers.
Some of these paintings convey biblical references through collaged material from art historical texts while others use appropriated figurative imagery from Winslow Homer and are juxtaposed with water-towers, smokestacks and aircraft. The re-contextualization of these figures creates multiple time frames to convey that the concerns for the heart and soul are the same in the present as they were in the past.
About the artist
Ivan Fortushniak is a nationally known artist who works as an Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has artworks in public and private collections across the country including the Spencer Art Museum and the Dayton Art Center. He has won several awards including the Directors Award at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Halpert Biennial Competition and the 1st place purchase award at Eastern Kentucky University for his exhibition Freedom. He has had several group and solo exhibitions throughout the country and international group exhibitions in Paraguay and Cuba. Fortushniak is heavily influenced by the early Modern American painters, Albert P. Ryder, George Inness and Winslow Homer.
Additional resources
- Flickr – Installation images