An ineffable aura emanates from Sylvester Stallone’s paintings. The swirls of paint engulf the viewer in the same way Jackson Pollock’s drips do and his figures become a presence in the room, an inescapable depiction of characters that resembles the strange portraits by Chaim Soutine. Stallone’s iconic roles in legendary films have overshadowed his primary talent as a painter and Galerie Gmurzynska is thrilled to have unearthed these pictorial treasures to share them with the public.
Another facet of his persona reveals itself, an artist completely cognizant and yet perceptive and sensitive, deeply attached to his inner self, in tune with the surrounding world and through his art he conveys his original vision of a universal anguish of the human condition. Stallone works as a craftsman, building the frames as inherent parts of the paintings, applying the thick paint with brushes and knives, whilst always remaining true to himself, following his instinct and his prime artistic urges. Stallone’s oeuvre inscribes itself in the history of modern expressionist art, from Van Gogh to De Kooning.
He has come to represent the modern romantic scheme of an inner anguish, mirroring themes from his public life and transcribing them into a personal artistic vocabulary. The result is an imaginative individual response to that great tradition and to the myth of the artist. For him painting is an escape, an opening to a richer world, a world of emotions that are the only true reality, yet he cleverly presents the inherent irony of any self-expression, be it cinematographic or painterly. In his paintings he displays himself uncensored, with only himself to direct. Seeing the paintings of Sylvester Stallone is a powerful and cathartic experience that we are delighted to share with you.
Krystyna Gmurzynska and Mathias Rastorfer