Roberto Azank
Encyclopedia
Roberto Azank was born in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
in 1955; the grandson of an oil canvas
artist and the son of a master embroidery
designer.
At the age of 14, Roberto won the first prize in painting at his High School; he went on to first study photography
and later architecture
at the University of Buenos Aires
.
In 1979, he moved to the United States where experimentation with various artistic forms and media led to his decision to pursue a career in the arts. As he continued to hone his craft, Azank began painting brightly colored abstract works in acrylics. By the late eighties, his style had evolved from abstract
to figurative
and he started painting in oils.
In 1994, Azank moved to New York's Catskill Mountains
and found in his still life works the definitive style for which he is known.
Roberto’s canvases convey a sense of hyper-reality through his bold use of color
, precise lines and controlled composition
. Common objects such as flowers, fruits, vessels
and candles are given new life set against the strong horizon
, which divides the artist’s rich color fields. These color fields, often indescribable in hue
, are the cornerstone of Azank’s work, while the still life objects act as vehicles for exploration of positive and negative space
, placement
and scale
. He elects to omit unnecessary ornamentation from his compositions, choosing instead to emphasize the precision and draftsmanship he originally investigated in architecture school.
Now at mid career, Roberto Azank has been described as a "metaclassical artist" whose interests lie in the abstract qualities of realism
as opposed to the photographic copying of nature.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1955; the grandson of an oil canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
artist and the son of a master embroidery
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
designer.
At the age of 14, Roberto won the first prize in painting at his High School; he went on to first study photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and later architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
.
In 1979, he moved to the United States where experimentation with various artistic forms and media led to his decision to pursue a career in the arts. As he continued to hone his craft, Azank began painting brightly colored abstract works in acrylics. By the late eighties, his style had evolved from abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
to figurative
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
and he started painting in oils.
In 1994, Azank moved to New York's Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
and found in his still life works the definitive style for which he is known.
Roberto’s canvases convey a sense of hyper-reality through his bold use of color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
, precise lines and controlled composition
Composition (visual arts)
In the visual arts – in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture – composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art or a photograph, as distinct from the subject of a work...
. Common objects such as flowers, fruits, vessels
Bowl (vessel)
A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
and candles are given new life set against the strong horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
, which divides the artist’s rich color fields. These color fields, often indescribable in hue
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
, are the cornerstone of Azank’s work, while the still life objects act as vehicles for exploration of positive and negative space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, placement
Placement
Placement may refer to:* Placement , an essential step in electronic design automation* Placement exam, determines which class a student should take* Favored placement, the practice of preferentially listing search engine results for given sites...
and scale
Scale (ratio)
The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such...
. He elects to omit unnecessary ornamentation from his compositions, choosing instead to emphasize the precision and draftsmanship he originally investigated in architecture school.
Now at mid career, Roberto Azank has been described as a "metaclassical artist" whose interests lie in the abstract qualities of realism
Realism (visual arts)
Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see. The term is used in different senses in art history; it may mean the same as illusionism, the representation of subjects with visual mimesis or verisimilitude, or may mean an emphasis on the actuality of...
as opposed to the photographic copying of nature.
Selected solo exhibitions
- 2006: Plus One Gallery, London, England
- 2006: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Desert, CaliforniaPalm Desert, CaliforniaPalm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
- 2005: London Art Fair, Plus One Plus Two Galleries, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- 2005: Simmons Gallery, San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
- 2005: Unison Arts Center, “Still Life Retrospective”, New Paltz, New YorkNew Paltz, New YorkNew Paltz is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston, New York. New Paltz contains a village also with the name New Paltz...
- 2005: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Desert, CaliforniaPalm Desert, CaliforniaPalm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
- 2005: Sande Webster Gallery, “Garden Art”, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
- 2004: Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
- 2004: Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
- 2004: Simmons Gallery, San Francisco, California
- 2004: London Art Fair, Plus One Plus Two Galleries, London
- 2004: Plus One Plus Two Galleries, Art London '2004, London
- 2004: Plus One Plus Two Galleries, “American Realism”, London
- 2004: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Desert, California
- 2003: Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, ConnecticutKent, ConnecticutKent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, alongside the border with New York. The population was 2,858 at the 2000 census. The town is home to three New England boarding schools: South Kent School, Kent School and The Marvelwood School. The Schaghticoke Indian Reservation is also located...
- 2003: Vero Beach Museum of Fine Art, “Collector’s Choice”, Vero Beach, FloridaVero Beach, FloridaVero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
- 2003: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, California
- 2003: Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 2003: Addison-Ripley Gallery, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- 2003: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
- 2003: Plus One Plus Two Galleries, Art London '2003, London
- 2003: Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, W
- 2003: Artspace/Virginia Miller Gallery, “Latin American Invitational”, Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
- 2003: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, “Latin Diversity”, San Francisco, California
- 2003: Artspace / Virginia Miller Gallery, Arte Americas Miami '2003
- 2002: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, California
- 2002: Austerer-Crider Gallery, Palm Springs, California
- 2002: Center of the Earth Gallery, “The New Realism”, Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
- 2002: Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, “Still Lifes”, Kent, Connecticut
- 2002: Austerer-Crider Gallery, “Flower Power”, Palm Springs, California
- 2001: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, California
- 2001: Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
- 2001: Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, Connecticut
- 2001: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Springs Int'l Art Fair
- 2001: Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 2001: Artspace/Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami, Florida
- 2001: Lyons-Wier/Packer Gallery, Art Miami '2001
- 2001: Austerer-Crider Gallery, Palm Springs, California
- 2000: Byron Cohen Gallery, Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
- 2000: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Springs Int'l Art Fair
- 2000: Artspace/Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami, Florida
- 2000: Center of the Earth Gallery, “The New Masters”, Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
- 2000: Brewster Arts Limited, Art Miami '2000
- 1999: Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco
- 1999: Artspace/Viginia Miller Gallery, Miami
- 1999: Brewster Arts Limited, “Major Works”, New York City
- 1999: William Havu Gallery, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- 1999: Brewster Arts Limited, Art Miami '1999
- 1999: Brewster Arts Limited, New York City
- 1999: Addison-Ripley Gallery, Washington, D.C.
- 1999: Albert EinsteinAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
College, Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva UniversityYeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, New York City - 1998: Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
- 1998: Albert White Gallery, Toronto, Canada
- 1998: Lizan Tops Gallery, East Hampton, New YorkEast Hampton (town), New YorkThe Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
- 1998: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- 1998: Ramis Barquet Gallery, Art Miami 1998
- 1998: Artspace/Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami, Florida
- 1998: Brewster Arts Limited, New York City
- 1998: Meredith-Kelly Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
- 1998: Elite Fine Art, Miami, Florida
- 1998: Byron Cohen Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
- 1998: Lyons Wier Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
- 1998: Mulligan-Shanoski Gallery, San Francisco, California
- 1998: DeArte Magick, ‘Disegno e Colore’, Easton, PennsylvaniaEaston, PennsylvaniaEaston is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
- 1997: Consulate General of Argentina, New York City
- 1997: Gallery @ 425 Lexington, New York City
- 1997: Ramis Barquet Gallery, Art Miami 1997
- 1997: N.Y. Arts Magazine 2nd City-Wide Biennial, New York City
- 1993: Art and Mathematics Conference 1993, State University of New York @ Albany, New YorkAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
- 1992: Gallery @ Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- 1991: Marcos J. Alegria School of Fine Arts, Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
- 1991: Olympia and YorkOlympia and YorkOlympia & York was once a major international property development firm based in Canada. The firm built major financial office complexes like Canary Wharf in London, the World Financial Center in New York City and First Canadian Place in Toronto...
Gallery, New York City - 1990: Galaxy Gallery, ‘Duel in the Sun’, Miami Beach, Florida
Selected publications on the artist
- Who's Who in American ArtWho's Who in American ArtWho's Who in American Art is a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, published by Marquis Who's Who, formerly by R.R. Bowker Publishing. The directory has also listed some individuals from Canada and Mexico, plus some American...
(1999–2005) - Pulse, Interview by John Nelson. March 31, 2005
- Woodstock/New Paltz Times, “Moving Stills”, by Mala Hoffman, April 14, 2005
- Desert Post Weekly, “Buenos Aires artist brightly colors Reality”, by Marc Thomson, February 5, 2004
- The Miami Herald, “Latin American Art in Coral Gables”, June 29, 2003
- Palm Springs Life,”Where to see Roberto Azank”, by Steve Biller, August 2003
- Coral Gables Gazette, “Latin American Masters of Today and Tomorrow”, July 3, 2003.
- Washington City Paper, Exhibition Review, by Louis Jacobson, March 7, 2003
- “When the Subject is also an Object (Conversations/Solitaire)”, Essay by Lee KleinLee KleinLee Klein is a poet, curator, essayist, and writer on the arts.-Career:He is the author of the "World's Biggest Shopping Mall Poem" about the taking over of reality by consumer culture...
, published by Addison-Ripley Gallery, February 2003 - Old Town Crier, Review by G. Lennox Campello, March 2003
- San Francisco Business Times, ”Viewing Art with an Eye towards Capital Growth”, by Lizette Wilson, September 27, 2002
- Woodstock-New Paltz Times,”Personally Speaking” by Mala Hoffman, August 22, 2002
- Chronogram, “On the Cover”, July 2002
- New York Arts Magazine, by Lee KleinLee KleinLee Klein is a poet, curator, essayist, and writer on the arts.-Career:He is the author of the "World's Biggest Shopping Mall Poem" about the taking over of reality by consumer culture...
, December 2001 - San Francisco Examiner, Review, by Anne Lawrence, June 12, 2001.
- The Desert Sun, Review by Jean McKig, December 2001
- Washington Post, exhibition review by Michael O'Sullivan, March 26, 1999
- Wall Street Journal, ‘Inside Art - Trendsetters- Creating the Next Direction’, “Cypherism and the Age of Computation”, New York, August 1999
- Miami Herald, “Cypherism and the Metaclassical Style of Roberto Azank”
- Essay by Dr. Ronald Vigo, published by Brewster Arts Ltd., March 1999
- ”Big Names in the Summer” by Armando Bravo, August 1, 1999
- Coral Gables Gazette, ”Gables Gallery exhibits Latin American Jewels”, July 1999
- Kansas City Star, ”Still Lifes are Still Effective”, by Robin Trafton, November 26, 1999
- Night Magazine, “An Appreciation” by Lee KleinLee KleinLee Klein is a poet, curator, essayist, and writer on the arts.-Career:He is the author of the "World's Biggest Shopping Mall Poem" about the taking over of reality by consumer culture...
, June 1999 - Easton [Pennsylvania] Irregular - “Disegno e Colore”, by Isadore La Duca, October 1998
- Kansas City Star, Review, by Alice Thorsen, July 1998
- New York City Arts Magazine, Review ”Art Miami 98”, by Lee KleinLee KleinLee Klein is a poet, curator, essayist, and writer on the arts.-Career:He is the author of the "World's Biggest Shopping Mall Poem" about the taking over of reality by consumer culture...
, February 1998 - New American Paintings, February 1998
- Waterfront Week, “Objectification” by F. Chapman, Williamsburg, BrooklynWilliamsburg, BrooklynWilliamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, May 1997.
Selected collections
- Robert Miller, New York
- American ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
Financial Advisors, Minneapolis - SprintSprint NextelSprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
Telecommunications, Kansas City - Washington Convention CenterWashington Convention CenterThe Walter E. Washington Convention Center is a convention center located in Washington, D.C. owned and operated by the Washington Convention and Sports Authority . Designed by Atlanta-based architecture firm Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, the convention center is located in a...
, Washington, D.C.