John Tarahteeff

marking time

[ october 14th - october 30th, 2011 ]

John Tarahteeff applies the intuitive impulses of his imagination to a range of historical art influences. Vaguely nostalgic characters and props combine with sparsely inhabited settings in a fictitious world of male-female relationships. An underlying formal construction connects the otherwise psychically isolated figures and captures their gestures in a “frozen moment.” Stark lighting and shifts of scale created by the interplay of near and distant imagery also heighten the sense of a dream-like drama in which time has been suspended.

Continually reworking his compositions as he paints, Tarahteeff strives for an improbable resolution of form and content. Whether the stories portrayed seem archetypal or arcane, we ultimately recognize in their recurring and evolving symbols and motifs this painter’s creative journey.

Tarahteeff’s work has been the subject of numerous articles in art publications. His artwork continues to be sought after and included in many important collections.