FRANK ARCURI
	FOREWORD A pyramid of ripe plums, the petals of a flower blooming, the cool smoothness of an alabaster statue or a porcelain vase - these are the subjects we often find in classical still life painting. When an artist of the past or present captures the characteristics definitive to each object, we marvel at their ability to make everything seem so lifelike. Frank Arcuri has long mastered the ability to create such a reality on canvas. His impeccable compositions have included a wide range of traditional subjects, from bountiful banquet settings to thought provoking vanitas paintings. The artists' extraordinary new exhibition expands upon his past accomplishments, embracing a more personal and one might say, an even more challenging approach to this genre of art. Dedicated to a tradition of beauty that is inspiring and lasting, Arcuri wants us to know that however real he can make the objects appear, the purpose is not merely to reproduce. To be fully realized, the work must be an artistic interpretation of life, singular to its creator. His goal is not only to compose beautiful arrangements, not only to paint them masterfully, but to imprint upon each painting a very human presence unique to his sensibilities and aesthetic. He has accomplished this with remarkable skill, technical virtuosity and most enjoyably, a sense of humor. "The Calling", speaks directly to the artist's life's pursuit and his presence in his work. A palette replete with color leans against a statue of a young girl. Brushes stand at attention and all is at the ready. The background is aswirl with blending hues accentuated with dabs of blue and red. This is the world that Frank Arcuri lives in, one that is as fluid as paint and as solid as stone. In a moment of humor and revelation, we realize the painting is at once full of promise and already a fait accompli. Arcuri's heavily shadowed Dutch inspired backgrounds of the past have evolved into fields of more vibrant colors. Mottled and diffused, they suggest a heightened reality existing alone in his imagination. In "Bouquet in Dutch Pitcher" we might almost believe the flowers themselves had burst forth in the cloud of blue staining the wall behind them. The splashes of paint on the tabletop in "Apple Branches" are humorously juxtaposed to the remarkably convincing surface of the porcelain dish. Arcuri has found unique ways in which he, as the creative force, exists both outside and inside the tableau he has painted. As your eyes feast upon these remarkable works in the pages to come, you will find the artist's presence in these unexpected ways. In his self-portrait entitled "Primary Colors", we come upon him thoughtful, his glasses bespeckled with paint. But it does not block his view, it informs his vision. Whether by choice or destiny, he sees the world as an artist and in this literal interpretation he is both the painter and the painting. In all his work, we find it impossible to separate one from the other.
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