In 2014, Joseph Blumstein arrived in Rome to sketch and photograph the Eternal City, in the time-honored tradition of so many artists before him. He stayed for a year, and by the time he returned home to Rye, he was ready to paint. 

In 2014, Joseph Blumstein arrived in Rome to sketch and photograph the Eternal City, in the time-honored tradition of so many artists before him. He stayed for a year, and by the time he returned home to Rye, he was ready to paint. 

 

The result — a number of large and colorful paintings and several sculptures—are now on view in the exhibition “Abstract with an Italian Accent” at the Rye Arts Center, through February 28.  

 

“I am an abstract artist but I work from reality,” says Blumstein. He uses rich colors, bold lines, and a thick impastoof oil paint, to recall the sights, sounds, and emotions of the places he visited. “I’m trying to bring the feeling into it,” he explains.

 

In one of his paintings, <Pompeian Fresco,> the bold swaths of terra cotta and yellow ochre recall the colorful stucco walls typical of Roman architecture. In <San Giovanni in Laterano,> dusky purple, putty-gray, green, and hints of bright yellow, are etched with dark lines which call to mind Rome’s steeple-filled skyline at twilight. Blumstein admits to being influenced by Joseph Stella, an Italian-born painter who was best known for his fractured and colorful paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge.      

 

The artist’s silver-painted fiberglass sculptures are surprisingly lightweight and are meant to recall the dark and ancient staircases he descended while exploring many of Rome’s churches. The experience of going underground, he said, made him appreciate the light and colors awaiting him when he returned to the street.

 

—Margot Clark-Junkins