Conception
A stunning display of John Varriano’s prowess with Abstract Expressionism, "Conception" is a making filled with expressive brushstrokes, intense colors. and overflowing spontaneity. The painting conveys creation through the act of penetration, which, by virtue of its subject, carries an erogenic and vigorous tone. The golden orange seed placed on the right of the horizontal center penetrates the canvas and sets off a reaction of palpable, explosive energy, awakening our awareness of the powerful forces and vital impulses of life.
Varriano adeptly captures the élan vital by bringing color to metaphysical heights, mixing and combining kaleidoscopic hues that burst with vibrancy and culminate in a deep, rich, abounding opus. The all-encompassing spectral experience vibrates within the eye of the viewer, producing an erotic sensation provocatively analogous to touch.
Brilliantly, in Conception, Varriano stimulates our imagination and teases out our nescient perceptions of erotism and procreation. The dissolving forms plunge and resurface throughout the composition and push us beyond any hasty, definitive, or what may become stagnant conclusions in our observations. Instead, Varriano’s artistic eloquence calls us to engage with Conception in its dynamic and manifold representations.
John Varriano American Artist, "Conception," 1998, oil painting on canvas, 20' x 24'
Does Conception represent the planting of a biological seed or the birth of a galaxy? Is creation a frenzied, chaotic, and meaningless insemination, or does it bear significant and purposeful intent? Are all seeds laid in welcoming environments, or are the dominant forces of life often hostile to new creations?
Open-ended in its interpretations, the painting just as easily lends itself to being an expressionistic revelation meant to go further than physical genesis by depicting the kernel of an idea injected into a space of concentrated thought. For Varriano, the philosophical notion that an idea is itself a form of life may be the most profound impregnation of all, giving rise to all that we see, know, and experience. The artist gives us a commanding composition where more than one exposition is conceivable and credible.
In execution, Varriano applied the paint with decisive force, bridled by gentle, caressing washes, which give the work’s surface a burnished smoothness and animated aura. Varriano’s renowned use of color is virtuosically on display as he brings together a cacophony of complimentary, contrasting, and clashing colors that yield to his will and produce an unimaginable yet profoundly poetic comingling. Overall, the painting erupts with a sense of ecstasy and satiation.
