The schedule of classes and workshops at SORA for the summer of 2008 has been posted here. These classes and workshops are open to the general public.

SORA director Bruno Surdo will be having a show titled “Obscurities” at the Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago. The show opens on April 18 and runs through May 31, 2008. There will be an opening reception on April 18 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Ann Nathan Gallery is located at 218 W. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60610.

This is the final part of a three part interview conducted with Bruno Surdo, Director of the School of Representational Art, in January of 2008. For Part one, click here. For Part two, click here.

This part covers Bruno’s professional achievements and favorite works, the challenges of being a professional artist, artistic inspiration, painting in the digital age, appreciating realism, changes in the reception of realism over the last decades, and the idea of meaning in art.

BR: Moving to your own work as an artist, which professional achievements are you most proud of?
Bruno: I would say that I’ve had three. My first was my first one-man show at the Chicago Cultural Center in the early 90’s. It was the first major public display of my work. I had five hundred people attend the opening. It was a huge success on many levels. I did not sell anything, but I had huge press. People knew who I was after that show. It was a great event. It really gave me this jolt that I needed at the time, and I really planned for it. It was a great experience. The second would be my first one man show at Ann Nathan, about five or six years ago. It was another strong showing, and my introduction into the art world. I had a great reception, I sold most of the paintings and we had a great catalog made. It was again, my name in the art community, at least in Chicago. That was an accomplishment. I’ve had many shows since, but that first one really seemed to give me the excitement that I was on to something that I had planned for. Again, I just felt it was a good show. I really put a lot into it. Third, was the achievement of my 911 painting, which was a huge undertaking. It was 19 feet by 45 feet. I put forth this difficult challenge, and I created as best a piece I could do at the time. I gave it everything I can. When I look back I do have some regrets about doing it, but I do think it was a high achievement of my career. The part that was difficult was the reception that I thought I would get, and the whole acceptance of the piece. But in terms of my accomplishments as an artist, I could not have done more or better than I did at the time. So it was a huge feat on many levels, not only the scale, but the subject matter, technical applications, arrangement of the figures, and the whole emotional aspect of the piece, and how it felt to me and acted as a vehicle of self expression at a difficult time.

Continue Reading »