Donald Martiny on His One World Trade Center Artwork, Artistic Process

"I noticed Donald Martiny’s work in 2013 at an art fair in Miami with Kathryn Markel Gallery. I was immediately drawn to it and was very curious about his process. Since that time his career has become very active, including landing a solo exhibition at Fort Wayne Museum of Art, an installation of his work at the new World Trade Center, upcoming exhibits in Germany, the United Kingdom and another solo museum exhibition in Michigan, at Alden B. Dow Museum of Art and Science in September, for which he was preparing 15 works for before this interview." Read the rest of Donald's interview with Brenda Hope Zappitell by clicking here.

Brush Strokes are Human, Personal and Intimate

Donald Martiny at work in the 1WTC lobby.

Emily Jaeger, Features Editor:
Could you talk a little about your interest in the painter’s gesture, this impactful exaggeration of the actual brushstroke? What was your impetus to begin exploring it in your work?

Donald Martiny:
First let me make clear that these works are actual brushstrokes. Many people mistake them for sculptures or molds. They are not forms that have been painted, they are pure paint through and through that I make with large brushes or directly with my hands. Brushstrokes are human, personal, and intimate. When I look at a painting by Ingres or Frederick Leighton the artist isn’t obviously present. When I look at Rembrandt I feel him there, I can connect with him. I want to be present in my work. Read the rest of the article on the Woven Tale Press website.

Donald Martiny discusses his work at Fort Wayne Museum of Art

In the 1950s, artists like Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline elevated the gesture to the position of the protagonist in abstract expressionism. In the 21st century, Donald Martiny advances that idea considerably further by freeing the gesture of gestural abstraction from the substrate which, heretofore, provided the context that brought gesture to life.