Peter Lodato: Diamonds / Divisions / Voids

PETER LODATO DIAMONDS/DIVISIONS/VOIDS

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

Photography: Rob Brander Words: Reina Flynn Portrait: Rob Brander Layout: Rob Brander Copyright: William Turner Gallery

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

PETER LODATO

Peter Lodato’s (b. 1946) artistic journey reflects an evolution, from immersive light installations, to captivating paintings that explore the complexities of human perception over the course of his six decade-long career. In addition, Lodato would himself influence a number of artists, teaching Art History at Art Center in Pasadena, and University of California Irvine with notable students such as James Turrell and Chris Burden.

His initial foray into art consisted of environmental light installations, characteristic of the West Coast’s Light and Space movement in the 1960’s, which sought to transform physical spaces into immersive experiences for viewers.

He credits the Roman Pantheon’s oculus for his interest in interpreting his experience. This body of work led to his inclusion in the 1981 Whitney Biennial.

As Lodato transitioned back to painting, he carried forward his fascination with perception, creating works that initially appear as austere, geometric abstractions but upon closer inspection, reveal layers, brushstrokes, and vibrant colors that play with space and depth. The dichotomy of vision—its capacity to both reveal and conceal— serves as a thematic cornerstone in Lodato’s artistry. His reductive compositions, often featuring divided forms and bold colors, engage viewers in a visual dialogue between simplicity and complexity. Inspired by the Abstract Expressionist’s Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Lodato’s use of vertical bands of color draws viewers into the canvas, inviting them to experience the artwork both physically and transcendentally. Hard edges feather out into diaphanous atmospheric vapors, creating luminous, Color-field suspensions floating on a colored ground– the formal consequences appear to both

DIAMONDS / DIVISIONS / VOIDS

recede and project, dematerializing the art object and simultaneously constructing a void of flat, hard-edge, matted pigment. The artists hand is evident in the textural materialization of paint executed with an expert hand. In reasserting the picture plane in favor of the flat form, the abstractions are not in fact “subjectless”, regardless of their reductive nature, they are intended to elicit a deep emotional response and expose the paradoxical nature of human perception.

Informed in part by Eastern philosophy, Lodato’s palette observes the color schema assigned to the various corporeal chakras and their corresponding color assignments.

Red for example symbolizes the root chakra at the base of the spine, characterizing strength and vitality, whilst white on the other end of the spectrum, illustrates the crowning light of spiritual wisdom.

Lodato holds a Graduate degree from California State University. His artistic contributions have been recognized through a solo retrospective curated by the Frederick Weisman Foundation (2000), and exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as PS1 in New York City (1978), Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial (1981), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His works grace esteemed collections in various public and private institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. This extensive presence in renowned collections underscores the impact and significance of Lodato’s artistic vision within the realm of contemporary art. He lives and works in Venice, California.

Vermilion, Green & White, oil on canvas, 96” x 84”

Buscar White in Yellow oil on canvas, 96” x 84”

Vermillion, White & Blue (Yen & Yang) oil on canvas, 84” x 42”

White (in Red), oil on canvas, 84” x 42”

Vermilion with White & Blue oil on canvas, 84” x 42”

Red, White & Purple over Black (6th Chakra) oil on canvas, 84” x 42”

Cool Red (Magenta) Diamond, 2023, oil on canvas, 72” x 60”, Cool Red (Magenta) Diamond, oil on canvas, 72” x 60”

Blue Diamond on White, oil on canvas, 72” x 60”

Vermillion with White Diamond oil on canvas, 72” x 60”

Two Plus Two #2 oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

Piano #2 oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

Pink in Green oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

Blue in White Buscar oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

White in Blue Buscar oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

Ochre Black November oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

Reds, One, Two, One oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

Yen & Yang Over Red, Yellow, Blue & Black oil on canvas, 60” x 36”

Vermilion over Violet in Cream oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

Nick’s Blue oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

September Diamond oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

Silver Diamond oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

White Diamond on Blue, oil on canvas, 48” x 36”

Piano #2 2017 Oil on canvas May, oilxon canvas, 48” x 36” 48” 36”

Double Diamond #1 Purple & White oil on canvas, 24” x 18”

Double Diamond #1 Black in White oil on canvas, 30” x 22”

Yellow Diamond oil on canvas, 30” x 22”

White Corners on Blue oil on canvas, 24” x 18”

Corners, 2 Reds, 2 Blacks on White oil on canvas, 24” x 18”

3 Whites, 1 Black on Red (Waltz) oil on canvas, 24” x 18”

PETER LODATO Peter Lodato holds a Graduate degree from California State University. His artistic contributions have been recognized through a solo retrospective curated by the Frederick Weisman Foundation (2000), and exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as PS1 in New York City (1978), Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial (1981), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His works grace esteemed collections in various public and private institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. This extensive presence in renowned collections underscores the impact and significance of Lodato’s artistic vision within the realm of contemporary art. He lives and works in Venice, California.

Photography: Rob Brander Words: Reina Flynn Portrait: Rob Brander Layout: Rob Brander Copyright: William Turner Gallery

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2024 2020 2017 2012 2009 2008 2007 2005 2003

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2000 1998 1996 1991 1990 1989 1987 1985

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William Turner Gallery, CA William Turner Gallery, CA William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA EMBLEMA Museum, Terzigno (Naples), Italy Zane Bennet, Santa Fe, NM William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA Castello / Childs, Phoenix, AZ Berman / Turner Projects, Santa Monica, CA Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Modernism, San Francisco, CA Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA Handsel Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Manné Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA Installation Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA Bakersfield Museum, Bakersfield, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Weisman Museum, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA: catalogue William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA Public Art Project, Brunswick Square, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA Sharon Truax Fine Art, Venice, CA Hunsaker-Schlesinger Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Krygier/Landau Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA Burnett Miller Gallery, Los Angeles, CA La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA Hunsaker-Schlesinger Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Otis /Parsons Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Aspen Center for the Visual Arts, Aspen, CO Art Gallery of the Sibell-Wolle Fine Arts Building, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California: catalogue Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Institute for Art and Urban Resources Special Projects Room, P.S. 1, Queens, NY Minneapolis College of Fine Art and Design Minneapolis, MN Claire Copley Gallery, Los Angeles, CA CARP, Roger Wong Studio, Los Angeles, CA Art Gallery, University of California, Irvine: catalogue Michael Walls Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Michael Walls Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Brand Art Center, Glendale, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2024 2022 2021 2014 2013 2007

2006 2004 2003 1999 1995 1992 1991

1987

1985 1984

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Intersect Palm Springs, Palm Springs, CA SEIS GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA Modernism Inc., San Francisco, CA Gallery Art 1307, Naples, Italy William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA California Museum of Photography, UCR, Riverside, CA William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu, CA American Jewish University, Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles, CA Patrick Olson Gallery, Plymouth, MI Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA Aspen Center for Visual Arts, Aspen, CO Rassegne della Ressegne Amalfi Arte, Salerno, Italy: catalogue Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Sharon Truax Fine Art and The Art Store Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA 4 Rassegna Internazionale d’Arte Antichi Arsenali della Republica Amalfi Arte, Amalfitana, Amalfi, Italy Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Marilyn Pink/Master Prints and Drawings, Los Angeles, CA Design Center of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA Pink’s Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA California State University, San Diego, CA Lonny Gans Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Baxter Art Gallery, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California: catalogue Art Gallery, Loyola School of Law, Los Angeles, CA Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, CA 80 Langston Street, San Francisco, CA Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Edith C. Blum Art Institute Avery Center for the Arts Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

1981

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1977 1975

1973 1972 1970

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; catalogue Art Gallery, California State University, Fullerton, CA Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California: catalogue Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Judith Christian Gallery, NY Gensler and Associates/Architects, Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Art Gallery, California State University, Fullerton, California; catalogue Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA School of Art and Design, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California; catalogue San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA Art Gallery, California State University, Los Angeles, CA San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA California State University Northridge, CA Leslie Collins Art Gallery, Dallas, TX Art Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Irvine, CA

SELECTED COLLECTIONS Bard College: Edith C. Blum Art Institute, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY College of Purchase, State University of New York: Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan Museo Italo Americano, San Francisco, CA Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA Syracuse University: Joe and Edith Lowe Art Gallery, Syracuse, NY

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY