Late 20th Century "Tobadzischini" Figurative Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Len Agrella

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"Tobadzischini" unframed original acrylic/mixed media painting on canvas by Len Agrella. Hand signed by the artist. Canvas Size: 50" x … Read more "Tobadzischini" unframed original acrylic/mixed media painting on canvas by Len Agrella. Hand signed by the artist. Canvas Size: 50" x 32". Condition is Great. Minor scratches. 100 percent guarantee of authenticity. Certificate of Authenticity is included. Make an offer!

BIO:

A native of Chicago, Agrella moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1961 and shortly thereafter made Prescott his home. Those who know Agrella can not help but be impressed with his two careers, His first career was a professional baseball player in the Detroit Tigers' organization. He made the top farm clubs but fell just short of making the majors. "Actually, I made a career of going to spring training", he reflects, but making the majors became less of an ambition than his art.

Agrella has evolved into a pure painter, an artist concerned with the very experience of painting. His focus is on essence, the act of creation, and not the subject matter. In Agrella's mind, the image is simply another medium as is the paint. It is the clotheshorse for his ideas. It does not determine the outcome but is the outcome, the fusion of his perceptions with his talent.

"No one introduced me to the arts. When I was young, I went to the Art Institute and saw a showing of French Impressionists. I was so fascinated by the texture of those paintings that I went home and tried to do the same thing. I put the paint on very thick."

The paint never did dry, but his fascination with painting stayed with him through various odd jobs that ran the gamut from stunt man to lumberjack to professional sports, as well as a tour with the Air Force.

A desire to become an actor took him to Hollywood, into actor's school, and work in theatre and films. Eventually the realization came that art was the driving force in his life. He started to paint again. The work he produced was very different from that of the past, and was accepted quickly.

Encouraged, Agrella moved to Arizona in the early sixties and settled down to painting in earnest. Developing a highly realistic, almost classical style, he became a traditional western artist and produced a long series of western paintings and bronzes. But neither form provided Agrella with the freedom to work within the image. Using techniques learned in sculpture, Agrella turned to the design and creation of boldly innovative contemporary jewelry. For nearly three years his brushes went untouched.

When he returned to painting in 1975, sculpture and jewelry having freed him from the confines of his earlier realistic style, Agrella experimented with dimensional canvases. This led to a series of mask paintings portraying spirits and symbols from centuries-old Indian mythologies. These magic imbued myths intrigued Agrella and played a strong role in the development of the Agrella statement. The transition of the Agrella style has been breathtaking, and he continues to experiment with style and technique.

He comments, "The function of the artist is to provide what life does not. Logic gives man what he needs, but magic gives him what he wants, I truly believe in the artist as magician. Magic is the art in art. The point where you begin dealing with matters of the spirit and communicating an essence is where the magic comes in."

"I regard myself as a southwestern contemporary artist. If I lived in the Midwest or the East, I would still be a contemporary artist. But I live in the Southwest and am influenced by the area." Len Agrella currently lives and works in Prescott, Arizona.

Courtesy of Buffalo Robe Studios, Prescott, Arizona, September 2002. See less