Bid now to win the beautiful 2-Day Absence, by Philip Gerstein,and support the construction of a Waldorf inspired Earthship Biotecture school in the Ivory Coast.
The school is for 300 children ages 4-7 years old born in families living below the poverty line. The Ivory Coast went through a decade of civil war from 2002-2011 and 46% of the population is living below the poverty line. Education is fundamental to provide a possibility to a different future for the children growing up in the aftermath of what is know as “the crisis”.
Artist: Philip Gerstein, Boston MA USA
Title: 2-Day Absence
Year created: ca. 2008
Medium: Mixed drawing media (w/c stick, chalk, pastel, w/c) on paper.
Height (inches): 24
Width (inches): 20
Depth (inches): 1.5
Signed by the artist
Signed Area: back
Description of piece:
Size 24" x 20" in a special wooden frame, mixed drawing media on paper. It stands out both in its use of color and its strong, kinetic composition.
Artist bio:
Philip Gerstein was born and raised in Moscow, USSR. He began exhibiting his work in the 1980’s with the Boston Visual Artists Union, after pursuing a PhD in Art History at Harvard University. Subsequently, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Japanese calligraphy with Toshu Ogawa. He has been exhibiting frequently in New York City, in Provincetown on Cape Cod, and very extensively in the Boston area; his work is in local and New York collections.
Gerstein's work has been extensively reviewed both in NYC and Boston, and compared with that of Hans Hofmann in the local press. His latest solo show in April of this year was hailed in the Art New England Blog/Portfolio (by Olivia J. Kiers) as "a masterful solo show", "rewarding... energetic, joyous and intellectually demanding...". His next solo show is in Chelsea, NYC, at The Painting Center, this November 1-25, 2017. In his own words, "I look for inspiration in both art and nature. Although I admire the past achievements of both Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism, it is rather in work that predates theirs – Kandinsky and classical artists of the Far East – that I find more direct antecedents to my work."
Here's how Gerstein has described his painting process: "I am interested in the “mood setting”, emotional effects of color. To that effect, I utilize shape, line, and texture in an arrangement that comes in a series of unpremeditated, interactive flows, alternating with periods of reflection and a kind of meditation, all aided and abetted by music -- another great mood setter. It is a process that involves time and rewards prolonged acquaintance (richly, I hope). Particularly, since the works are done in a “major key” and can, as one of their complex messages, lead to an emotion of joy."