Pictures of Newark

As a proud, lifelong Newarker, I’ve spent much of the past few years painting and photographing my changing city. Pictures features a selection of my work complemented by Mussorgsky’s seminal composition: Pictures at an Exhibition. Five of Mussorgsky’s movements out of an original fifteen are selected, each of which represents the feel of a specific Newark neighborhood. The following five locations are featured:

1. THE PASSAIC RIVER – Mussorgsky’s Promenade
2. ESSEX COUNTY JAIL – With the Dead in the Language of Death
3. MOUNT PLEASANT CEMETERY – Promenade
4. DOWNTOWN NEWARK – Two Jews: One Rich and One Poor
5. PORT NEWARK – Promenade

Growing up in Newark, I’ve been inspired and saddened by my inner city environment. I am inspired by Newark’s hope of renewal after decades of white flight, under-investment, and urban neglect. But I am saddened by the loss of my city’s historic architecture and urban fabric to the wrecking ball of ostensible progress. “Renaissance City” depicts the Newark of my childhood with garish signage and decayed structures blanketing my city’s architecture in a medley of color and consumerism.

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May 20, 2016January 3, 2017 by NJ Appleseed 1 Comment