continued . . .

Jimmy contacted me, wanting to sell me a painting by my father, Joseph Maniscalco, that he had picked up in an estate sale. When he came to bring me the painting we started talking about his story. As he spoke, I noticed him standing in my doorway, the light from the outside and the light from the interior of my home. I asked that in addition to what I was paying him for the painting, if he would model for a portrait I was formulating as we spoke. I asked him to clasp his hands together as if he were trying to crack a walnut. Then I asked him to relax. That is when I captured this pose.

What’s it like to grab a Tiger by a tale, as told by a former banger? Jimmy has been through the ringer, round the block, out the rear door and back again. He’s seen a lot, but not everything. He’s climbed the mountain invented by his mind. His discovery of grace came at the expense of winning his own death race. Jimmy is our modern Job. He saw the light and is now helping others to see the light. He has reformed. No longer strangers, he knows now we are stronger together.

I think trying to capture an emotional  state in the painted surface, such as gratefulness, is the greatest challenge for an artist. In this case, Jimmy, the subject of this portrait, embodies gratefulness. He has been through the ringer, he's been around and seen it all. He has finally come to realize that gratefulness is the source of true joy and meaning. He now lives in humility and possesses a gentle strength of acceptance. The gesture also suggests that we together are stronger and that by helping each other, we are all made better.

More gallery paintings by Robert Maniscalco

More non-commission portraiture by Robert Maniscalco

More Narrative Paintings by Robert Maniscalco

More about having a portrait by Robert Maniscalco