Louis Fratino – Own, Only

Monya Rowe Gallery is excited to announce a solo exhibition of new paintings by Louis Fratino titled “Own, Only”.

Fratino’s voyeuristic depictions of lovers, friends and strangers are charged slices of everyday life. Fraught with homoeroticism, the works range from enigmatic portraits to explicit sex scenes. Like the photographs of Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) and the late beach paintings of Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), Fratino’s interest lies in the adoring gaze of the male body. His subjects consume and captivate him. Body curves are juxtaposed with patterns and objects, each component sometimes becoming indistinguishable from the other. Fratino explores desire, gender and male sexuality through an observed reality. The ordinary – eating a plate of spaghetti, dancing at a club, embracing a lover – becomes the extraordinary. Functioning akin to a visual diary, these sensitive portrayals exude energy and an enthusiasm for new experiences lending the exhibition an air of Romanticism. The protagonists in these paintings possess a profound sense of identity as individuals. Fratino provides a space to imagine the reality of his carefully chosen subjects and asks us to care, to wonder.

Louis Fratino (b. 1993, Annapolis, MD) received a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. In 2016 Fratino was awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Painting, Berlin, Germany and in 2014 a Yale Norfolk Painting Fellowship, Norfolk, CT. Recent group exhibitions include Thierry Goldberg, NYC; “Human Condition” at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center, CA; and “Mommy” at Monya Rowe Gallery. The artist lives in Brooklyn and works in Long Island City, Queens, NY. This is his first solo exhibition at Monya Rowe Gallery.

Gallery hours Mon – Wed by appointment, Thur – Sun noon – 5 pm

www.monyarowegallery.com

Location:
Monya Rowe Gallery
4 Rohde Avenue
32084 Saint Augustine, FL
United States