Ethos and Truth: Bruno Surdo

Join us Friday, September 10th from 5 to 8pm in the River North Gallery District for the Fall River North Gallery Walk. Tour the art galleries on a self-guided walk while meeting artists, curators, and gallery staff. Finish with cocktails and al fresco dining at River North's modern Greek restaurant Avli. 

The Mid-Summer River North Gallery Walk is free and open to the public. Shows continue through October.

Few artists capture the zeitgeist of our times with such verve and tenacity as Chicago painter Bruno Surdo. His monumental paintings reflect our daily lives in vignettes relating to human experience such as, standing in a crowd waiting for the El Train, hanging out in a café, or embracing a lover. But he also captures moments of great social and historical impact such as the events of 9-11 and the #MeToo movement.
 
The eighteen works featured in Ethos and Truth at Gallery Victor Armendarizare a continuation of this project, capturing a variety of themes and subjects prevalent in current society.  There is, however, a major shift in some of these works.  Those familiar with Bruno’s traditional approach to painting will amaze at the twisting surreal distortion introduced in some of the works.  The capstone painting of the exhibit is titled A Beacon of Hope. This painting challenges the viewer to explore some of the current issues confronting our democracy while including references and symbolism from the Black Lives Matter movement and the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Riots. Perhaps, affected by a feeling of inner distortion from witnessing a universal tarnishing of the American social experiment, the artist expiates himself by turning the brush outward
 
Bruno Surdo was born in Chicago Illinois. Early in his life he showed great interest in the human form and the art of the Renaissance. Bruno studied drawing as well as art history and decided to dedicate his art to expressing the human form. Throughout Bruno’s career, he has practiced mastering his craft while creating provocative works that center around the human condition. He has had numerous shows and commissions and has his work in many prestigious art collections throughout the world. He is widely known for his allegorical imagery and commitment to figurative art. Bruno incorporates many of the technical skills from the great European masters in his work and is continually exploring his technical applications. He is regularly invited to universities and art organizations to give lectures about his work and career. Bruno is also a well-respected teacher and believes in sharing his knowledge and experience with other artists and students.