John Opie

“Emerging from university art school at the end of the 1950s, I began painting in the abstract expressionist mode of the day. I was drawn to developing a vocabulary of abstract shapes, and by studying everyday objects for inspiration, I gradually began introducing recognizable forms into my work. This marked my transition to painting subject matter while still holding on to the improvisational freedom of abstract expressionism.

The works featured at Guardino Gallery — small acrylic paintings on paper from the 1960s — reflect these stream-of-consciousness encounters with ordinary objects and forms. They move fluidly between abstraction and recognition, inhabiting the space in-between.”
~ John Opie

🎥 Learn more: Watch John Thornton’s YouTube documentary, “Painterly Imagination: Lessons from an Afternoon with John Opie.”

What Critics Say

Victoria Donohoe, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Opie’s tone is always bright, even when he portrays nighttime subjects. Relaxed and conversational, his rhythm and pace reveal the ease of a born raconteur. He’s adept at recognizing what makes something timeless yet natural in gesture. His pictures are exquisitely buoyant, silky in terms of touch. Opie’s ability to continue producing challenging new canvases within an accessible idiom takes on the aura of genius.”

Gerrit Henry, Art News
“Opie’s freely painted landscapes and friendly, pleasant figures embody a distinctly American way of seeing — as photoprecisionism. The sophisticated innocence he brings to the contemporary scene is a delight, and his slightly goofy, rakish manner is exemplary. Opie’s paintings are all picnics, in the finest fête galante sense of the word.”