Robert blogs on art, creativity, politics, CSA, religion and culture. Many overlap into multiple categories, like motivational or random favorites. Robert is a life-long artist, writer, musician & actor, a professional creative his entire adult life. Born in 1959 in Detroit, he has lived in New York, New Orleans and currently in Charleston. His commission portraits and fine art are part of over a thousand collections throughout North America. Read his bio.
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Beauty and the Beast – Part 2
This mythical story of "Beauty and the Beast" is a metaphor for dissociation, the psychological separation from oneself. My out of body experience during my Childhood Sexual Abuse was no accident. God was not only protecting me from the perpetrator, but also from...
Drawing and Painting for Everyone
At the end of a very fun four week drawing and painting class in my North Charleston studio I am so impressed with these first efforts in portraiture. I keep training my competition, sharing the best kept secrets. Why? Because I believe the joy of artistic expression...
Faith
We are taught to believe faith is that secret thought we have deep inside us. Faith is not that thing we profess out loud, that picture we present to the world, but the real truth of what we feel deep down in our being. I’ve come to understand Faith much differently....
The New Normal
I am dubious of the normal, particularly the new normal, where destructive, unhealthy, hate-filled voices are given credence. Their "common sense" solutions are often anything but. It's time to embrace our neurodiversity. Now more than ever, we need the ideas from...
Reverse Engineering History
Imagine what Hitler might have been able to accomplish if he'd had access to today’s social media, technology, wealth, weaponry combined with such intense levels of division and mistrust among his citizenry. Germany’s democracy collapsed under far less pressure. It...
Waking Up is Hard to Do
Trump is performing exactly as expected. His presidency is turning the status quo on its head, chipping away at democracy, discrediting, dismantling and undermining the institutions we’ve built up and have come to take for granted for so long. We are moving from a...
Vincent John Doe Piccolo Spoletto Wrap-up
We did it! Three amazing world premiere performances of Vincent John Doe at City Gallery, part of Piccolo Spoletto 2018, are now behind us. It was surreal for this playwright/actor, after all that work, over so many years, to receive standing O's, applause after each...
Rudderless Leadership
The right talks a lot about realists, that the POTUS is a decisive, bold, practical leader because he stands up to our allies and reaches out with respect to despots. But so far at least, he has conceded much and gained little in return. They think this behavior...
Capsule review: ‘Vincent John Doe’ opens speculative window on insanity, art and identity
What would happen if Vincent Van Gogh showed up in New York City today? That’s the pretext for the play “Vincent John Doe,” which just completed a three-day Piccolo Spoleto Festival run at the City Gallery. Charleston painter and actor Robert Maniscalco plays Van Gogh...
Dr. Timothy West Portrait
Dr. Timothy E West, MD is an early pioneer in the field of Infectious Disease here in Charleston, SC. His portrait will hang at Roper Hospital and was presented to him on May 5, 2018 as a surprise by his wife and Lowcountry Infectious Disease, his practice over many...
Aggressive Art Marketing
I love being an artist. It is a privilege. In recent years, however, it has also become a luxury. In fact it has become a vanity. It used to be that vanity galleries, founded by the super rich as tax shelters, were the rare. Nowadays, vanity galleries and coops seem...
Jerry Zucker Portrait
36″ x 48″ Governor & CEO Hudson’s Bay Company SC Icon The portrait features Mr. Zucker in dynamic repose, expressing his energy and vitality. The light streams in from a window behind. In the bookcases to his right are binders, containing his over 300...
Maniscalco Gallery on Facebook
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.I rather like this portrait. ... See MoreSee Less
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.What a great opening night! I think we hit the mark. I'm in awe of the level of talent and dedication to message behind this show and its timeliness. We need to wake people up and turn on a light. ... See MoreSee Less
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.I don't like to politicize this page but I don't care for portraits being weaponized in this manner.  ... See MoreSee Less
Trump moves Obama, Bush portraits to hidden stairwell
www.yahoo.com
Once a dramatic feature of the White House entryway, the official portrait of former President Barack Obama has been moved to a decidedly less prominent position, underscoring the years-long tensions ...This was part of the recent NOAPS best in America show as well. ... See MoreSee Less
See the Light - Maniscalco Gallery
maniscalcogallery.com
Is the light in his eye placed there by God or is it merely a reflection of the light around him? What is this beautiful soul looking at?