LA JOLLA, California (Press Release)– The Gotthelf Art Gallery at the Lawrence Family JCC will present a solo exhibition, “John David Ratajkowski – From Page to Stage: Portraits of Jewish Literary Figures in Film,” running December 8, 2010 – February 23, 2011. Art will be for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the artist and the Gotthelf Art Gallery.
An opening night reception with the artist will be held on Wednesday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public .
The history of the Jewish figure in American cinema is rich and evocative. Particularly outstanding have been films based on Jewish characters from literature. It is these literary characters translated to film that artist John David Ratajkowski takes as the subject for his series of portraits.
Growing up in the 1950’s in the seaside town of Coronado, California, painter John David Ratajkowski remembers “being able to draw anything I could see.” Fascinated as a boy by all variety of materials, Ratajkowski was early on adept at painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, lithography. He recalls that the key attraction for him in every case was the compelling desire “to make”—whatever the media.
Ratajkowski’s experiments in abstract work have powerfully impacted his portraiture. The current series of portraits of Jewish literary figures depicted in film brings together Ratajkowski’s abstract painting techniques with his long-time work in the portrait. Ratajkowski’s work appears in private and corporate collections; he is represented by the Blue Leaf Gallery in Dublin, Ireland, and the CJ Gallery in San Diego, California.
Curator Kathleen Balgley received her Ph.D. in literature from UC San Diego with a specialization in the relation of visual art to literature. She has taught for over three decades as Associate Professor of English at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo; Lecturer in the UCLA Writing Programs; and currently as a teacher in the Humanities Department at the San Diego Jewish Academy.
The Gotthelf Art Gallery is devoted to expanding and enriching cultural life in San Diego by presenting the finest in Jewish artistic expressions, encouraging the preservation of Jewish culture and heritage, and nurturing new creativity in the arts. The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, is located at 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Gallery hours are Sunday-Friday, 9 a.m.—5 p.m.
For more information about the Gotthelf Art Gallery and other programs of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, visit the web site at www.sdcjc.org or call 858-457-3030.
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Preceding provided by the Center for San Diego Jewish Culture