Maurizio Giarnetti: Speaking Through Stones at Agora Gallery

Online, December 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Inventive and inspiring, Maurizio Giarnetti's paintings feature smooth, colorful stones as artful protagonists. Giarnetti, painting with acrylics, oil, or mixed media in a hyper-realist style, expertly captures the various textures of the stones, gathered together in wonderfully dynamic compositions. There are often objects placed on or peeking out from the spaces between the stone, remnants of events or circumstances that lie beyond the composition's borders. Beetles and other insects find refuge on the stones too, a reminder that despite our different appearances, the earth and all of its inhabitants are but one living organism. Giarnetti complements the steely hue of the stone by adding colorful splashes of dripping paint or beautiful patterns that, along with their poetic titles, begin to tell us a story. In fact, even though stone is often considered inert and immovable, in these works there is a sense of expectation that a mystical event is about to unfold. "[The Stones] are complete, finished, perfect and alive all by themselves," explains Giarnetti.
The artist lives and works in Villanova d'Asti, Italy.

Exhibition Dates: December 23, 2011 - January 12, 2012
Reception: Thursday, December 29, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Maurizio_Giarnetti.aspx

About the Exhibition:
Celebrate the holiday season by bringing the warmth and energy of the Mediterranean to your day through art that will stay with you for a lifetime. This winter, Agora Gallery is proud to present two exhibitions that will brighten your weeks and leave you full of optimism and wonder. Born of Fire: Carlo Proietto / a Solo Exhibition presents the work of a talented Italian artist whose medium of choice is classical pyrography. He uses fire and intense heat to create his intriguing artworks in a way that shows why this unusual medium deserves to become part of the contemporary art world. Evocative, powerful and bursting with vitality, the works combine a realistic perspective on the present with determined hope for the future. Equally inspirational is the art of The Odyssey Within: an Exhibition of Fine Art by Greek and Italian Artists, which embraces the rich potential of the world and encourages its audience to share the same enthusiasm for the hidden aspects of what we see. Poignantly personal yet appealing universal, these works will find echoes in viewers' own experiences and journeys.

Featured Artists:
The Odyssey Within: an Exhibition of Fine Art by Greek and Italian Artists
Vito Aroma | Fausto Arrighi | Fulvio Biancatelli | Perry Bianchini |
Nietta d''Atena | Ermeti Martina | Mara Fabbro | Veronica Ghio | Maurizio Giarnetti | Guglielmi Giovanni | Giovanna Grannò | Paola Guerra |
Antonis Hambas | Maria Kavvou-Vlataki | Lisa Londi | Luciana Manelli | Vito Matera | Ilde Maurizi | Joshef Matè | Monica Morganti | Armida "Pupa" Nardi | Palma Nasoni | Inna Orlik | Bruno Pozzi | Adolfo Pretorino | Luciano Primavera | Alessio Ranaldi | Floriana Rigo

Born of Fire: Carlo Proietto / a Solo Exhibition
Carlo Proietto

About Agora Gallery
Agora Gallery is a fine art gallery, established in 1984 and located in the heart of New York City's Chelsea art galleries district. It is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. Gallery II, an elegant adjacent gallery space, gives artists the ideal area for a solo or group exhibition of their own, organized and publicized by Agora Gallery. The gallery also publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of international talented artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is also the sponsor of ARTmine, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art. The gallery also runs Agora Art Blog, a blog designed to provide helpful information and advice for artists while providing a forum for artists to help one another by sharing their experiences and thoughts.