Norman Perlmutter
Gallery AP Modern
My Art
“The idea is not to live forever, it is to create something that will.”
PostModernist / Colorist
My work is defined by my architecture roots, my obsession with basic form and "Ordinary Things" and my study of artists I greatly admire. I paint mostly with acrylics on canvas and, at times, I use other media and formats including enamel, wood, collage, assemblage and relief.
“Perlmutter makes us regard simple things in a new light, as if for the first time, monumentalized yet not parodied in the manner of Pop. Rather, we suddenly see them as objects of beauty”
I normally work on several paintings concurrently often blending Abstraction with Realism and dynamic variations of color.
“Like Josef Albers, Perlmutter is a consummate - if more intuitive, less theoretical - colorist”
My Studio
From a small Alcove to a Dingy Basement
My studio has evolved to a dedicated space with natural light, high ceilings and room to work on several paintings simultaneously which provides pause for color choices, fine-tuning and, at times, for creating interaction between works.
“An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, a prisoner of style, a prisoner of reputation, a prisoner of success.”
What I Love About Art
“There are artists who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
I Love and Admire Representational Art
Yet, I find creating it laborious and wearisome. However, when I paint to convey what I feel about something rather than to portray what it actually is "the sky's the limit" and I’m free to create art in a manner that's adventurous and exciting.
Take Newman, Pollack and Rothko; though skilled painters, they achieved little recognition or success until they chose to use their art to express themselves. And, it certainly paid off; a Rothko Color Field painting recently sold at auction for 78 million dollars and massive works by all three hang together in the NY Museum of Modern Art - the Mecca of Visual Art Modernism.
“A young painter who cannot liberate himself from the influence of past generations is digging his own grave”
An Art Mystery Unresolved
At a reception some years ago for a Juried NJ State Show I overheard someone - I believe an art teacher - say the following to her companion about my entry: "S--t", "my class does better work than that”. That said, my painting - "Celebration" - received a jurors' award and top honors went to an untitled, almost colorless 8” x 10” collage of paper on paper that I could not comprehend. And, to this day I still wonder what the juror was thinking and what that art teacher’s take on it was.
“If I spit, they will take my spit and frame it as great art.”
And, that's what I love about art.
About Me & Work I've Shown
Art was always my Calling
It all started at Brooklyn Tech High School where I was actually able to select a specific program of study. I chose Architecture, Fine Art and Design and I loved it! I continued to pursue it at New York University but, poor judgment, family and financial pressure resulted in a transfer to New York City College where I earned a degree in business.
So, my art took a back seat to my business career. However, I continued to paint and began showing in the mid nineties exhibiting in numerous state, national and international juried shows including such venues as the: George Segal Gallery at Montclair State University, Guild for Creative Art, NJ Art Alliance, Monmouth Museum, Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Collation and the Rogue Space Gallery in NYC.
My first gallery show - "Perspectives In Color" - was in 2000 in Red Bank NJ. And, more recently I've had two gallery shows in the NYC Chelsea Art District: "Homage to the Box" my "Solo Debut" and, several months later, "Ordinary Things". Both received amazing reviews from Ed McCormack of Gallery & Studio Magazine who was first to review Andy Warhol's work for Rolling Stone.
“Perlmutter’s paintings possess a visual wit akin to Pop art. However, while the aesthetic virtues in the paintings of artists such as the late Roy Lichtenstein are often camouflaged by irony, Perlmutter’s take center stage”
Now, I paint full time, collect art and pottery, enjoy fishing, fish keeping, rooting for the Yankees, the Giants and my grandkids' sports teams. And, I continue to be inspired by Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Reinhardt, Kelly, Hopper, Demuth and many other painters.
“Creativity takes courage”