Artist Justine Bassani

    I distinctly remember the first time I glimpsed Ms. Justine Marie Bassani's paintings in her artfully cluttered downtown apartment. That she was abundantly talented was obvious, but perhaps less obvious were the emotions she was trying to convey through her work -- or rather the emotions they evoked in me. Most of Justine's paintings were marginally distorted portraits of women often appearing lost in thought, on the brink of revelation, or embroiled in some sort of inner turmoil. I remember feeling vaguely disturbed when I studied her paintings closely; almost as though I was intruding on the subjects' most vulnerable, intimate moments. However, I also felt empowered by the strength and defiance the characters seemed to exude.

Works from Bassani's Vice vs Virtue
click to enlarge

     It turns out this is exactly the kind of response Ms. Bassani is aiming for with her artwork. Confusion and contradiction only mean the artist achieved what she set out to achieve--reflecting the complexity and multi-dimensionality of human emotion, on both a profound and mundane level. Looking at Justine's work is like lying someone on a couch and asking probing questions about his/her desires, loves, losses, and dreams. In Justine's own words, when people see her work, she hopes "they see themselves...pieces of themselves that they miss, or pieces of other people that they miss...a moment in time or a dream....Good, bad, whatever, as long as they feel."

     All of Ms. Bassani's portraits have a raw emotional feel, and the portraits being showcased at her upcoming Vice vs. Virtue exhibit are no exception. The series consists of six "stylized realism" portraits (aka portraits which are not designed to be exact, photographic representations of reality, but rather reality as filtered or tweaked through the personal visions of the artist), juxtaposed against their six abstract counterparts. As previously echoed throughout her work, the series focuses on dichotomy--vice vs. virtue, outer calm vs. inner turmoil--and how purposeful examination is sometimes necessary to discern between two opposing forces. Of note are the varied and unconventional materials Justine used to create the series: oil and varnish, real gold leaf, marker, oil paint, acrylic paint, puff paint, pencil, ink, crayon, coolage papers, oil pastel, plastic jewels, and found objects. Some pieces of collage have been pulled from Justine's personal sketch books from the past ten years and have no duplicates.

    Apparently I am not the only one enamored of Ms. Bassani's unique artwork; six of the paintings from the Vice vs. Virtue series will be featured on "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" April 19th, on the USA network in an episode titled "Rockstar." Incidentally, the lovely Justine will appear in the epsiode as....you guessed it, an artist.

    "Enough" you say, you are sold--so what are the details of this exhibit? "Where?" "When?" you ask breathlessly.  The Vice vs. Virtue art opening is taking place on Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00 p.m. at Chocopologie Cafe, in South Norwalk, Connecticut. For all you Manhattanites, Connecticut is not China. South Norwalk is actually pretty conveniently accessible from Grand Central Station. If you cannot make it to the opening, Ms. Bassani has two up-and-running websites to satiate your portraiture needs: www.JustineBassani.com, which basically serves as an archive of her works, and the newer (not yet running) www.ViceEnvyVirtue.com, which will be updated regularly, and contain more interactive features for her rapidly growing fanbase. So yeah. Check it out.

Chocopologie Cafe
Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00 p.m.
South Norwalk

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