Exploring Transformation and Depth: The Visionary Art of Dr. Richard Serros
Exploring Transformation and Depth: The Visionary Art of Dr. Richard Serros
At Create Gallery and Frames, we take pride in showcasing artists who not only create extraordinary works but also carry forward the traditions of artistic mentorship and innovation. Today, we are honored to present an in-depth perspective from Dr. Richard Serros, whose lifelong dedication to art history, teaching, and creative exploration shines through his intricate and profound paintings. In his own words, Dr. Serros shares the inspirations, techniques, and meanings behind several of his key pieces currently featured in our gallery:
"Hello art friends, I am Dr. Richard Serros. I received my doctorate in the History of Art from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1999 with a dissertation titled: The Verrocchio Workshop.
Techniques, Production, and Influences. This study taught me the importance of the master as a teacher and the profound impact it can have on students, as Verrocchio's impact reverberated on his many students, particularly Leonardo da Vinci, who was his direct student for about 10 years, and Domenico Ghirlandaio and Pietro Perugino, these latter two of which became the masters of Michelangelo and Raphael. I have carried this spirit forward with my students during my 31-year tenure as professor in the art department at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California, and continues today through my involvement with Leo Bratenas and Katinka Van Dyk, whose works are also in this gallery, and in which I am proud to display my work: many thanks to Joan and Leo.
We will begin examining my works, without giving everything away, with the large Three Graces: Poetry of Life and Evolution, a still unfinished 96 X 60 inch acrylic and oil on canvas painting begun in 1999 with the participation of my students Leo Bratenas and Francisco Franco and continued off and on into the present by myself and more recently with the assistance of Katinka van Dyk. This composition was created as part of a triptych including two other canvases of the same dimensions that were developed during the same 7-month period titled Holes: Searching for the Truth in the Material World, and Satyrs Dance:
Conceptual Metamorphosis of Mind and Body. In the present composition the three female figures, with eyes closed and bodies wrapped in disintegrating white cloth bandages, are personifications of the pupal state: that between the larval and imago or adult state of some insects, particularly moths and butterflies.
They are suspended within a section of regrowing burnt forest. Behind them is the circular root system of a fallen tree, symbolizing the labyrinthine cyclic of the nature of life. The figure on the left extends her right hand to receive wisdom from the wise owl while the raven and toad look on. The other two women, likewise symbols of procreative power and nurturing instinct, also perform their metaphorical symbolism in their hand gestures and in their feet as they emerge dripping from the lifegiving waters. Meanwhile numerous other creatures go about their lives on this veritable clock of life that includes, or will include, when completed, examples of roundworms, fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, each playing their role in the competition for survival and reproduction.
Music of the Spheres is a 48 x 72-inch oil on canvas painting of 2017 which, like my 2007 painting The Depths, and my 2013 painting titled Calabi-Yau, was inspired by my readings on nuclear physics, quantum mechanics, and string theory. It depicts a spherical Calabi-Yau manifold suspended in a space further activated by long curving multilayered strokes arranged to sugest musical notes as the keys of a piano in groups or individually. The overall soft blue tone of the painting, broken by warmer tones, produces a strong three-dimensional yet harmonious and melodic effect. The Calabi-Yau manifold is not fully formed, but is open and diaphanous, and is a warm red on the outer layer and a cool blue on the inner sphere, producing a spectacular sense of 3-D space and floatation within the composition which is made even more dramatic when viewed through prismatic 3-D glasses. The stylistic lineage of this painting follows the color theories of such artists as Claude Monet, the paint applications techniques of Vincent Van Gogh, the energy concerns of Umberto Boccioni and the action of the Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock
Grand Prismatic is a 36 x 48-inch oil on canvas painting of 2020 depicting the most beautiful of the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. This subject was chosen because of its iconic presence and those intense colors produced by nature. Many shades in hue and tone are reproduced through delicate transitions of 6 different blue pigments and several green and violet tones. This produced the effect of depth in the pool as it transitions from light yellow green along the edges through various blue tones to the deepest bluish purple at the center. The high contrast of the red orange of the land around the pool further enhances the intensity and depth of the intense blue tones of the pool. The 3-D effect of this composition is made even more dramatic when viewed through prismatic 3-D glasses."
Dr. Serros’s work invites viewers into a world where art, science, and mythology intersect- revealing the complex rhythms of life and the universe. We invite you to experience these pieces in person at Create Gallery and Frames, where the rich textures, colors, and hidden dimensions of his paintings truly come alive, especially when viewed through our prismatic 3-D glasses. Join us in celebrating the transformative power of art and the enduring legacy of artists like Dr. Serros who continue to inspire generations.
Create Gallery and Frames
3520 W Chinden Blvd. Garden City, ID. 83714
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