Power

Joseph Piccillo has mastered his media – graphite and charcoal, mixed media and collage – and his depictions of horses, athletes and dancers are found in the permanent collections of great museums around the world, with numerous solo exhibitions in recognition of his accomplishments. What’s less well-known than these overt depictions of physical power – but that are equally as distinctive and memorable – are his portrayals of social power. 

Piccillo isn’t an artist who speaks at length to explain his work, nor is he one to stake a political claim. His work is his work and his private life is private. It’s difficult, however, not to feel that there’s a message within his art. 

This could be attributed to his skill, which is immense and has inspired other artists for decades. The ways in which he depicts folds in fabric, shadow and line – simplified in black and white – all bare truth. But to look at his work in such a manner would be to reduce his work as simply that of a skilled technician. Craft is important, but great artists are so much more – and he is great.

The horse – his iconic subject – is a mass of writhing muscle in motion, a symbol of power married with elegance; his depictions of the diver and the ballerina continue these themes, albeit with softer edges. All represent physical excellence.

How, then, do we account for another of his career-long subjects – the society member? Here, the subjects feel more alone, more isolated than his solo depictions of horses and dancers and divers and while properly attired, his subjects present as weak in physicality. Still, even here, there’s a knowingness in his subjects’ eyes, a sense of being beyond reproach.

Study his works in comparison and consider the links and convergences between the physical and the social and therein is the link: Throughout his career and within his art, Piccillo speaks about power.

Explore a self-guided virtual tour of this exhibition here.

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