Gratitude
Price range: $125.00 through $2,500.00
Gratitude 14 x 18″ oil on linen
- Part of ArtPrize 2025 Grand Rapids, MI
- Part of the National Oil and Acrylic Painter Society’s 2024 small works exhibition.
- Awarded Hon. Mention at 2024 Charleston Artist Guild, Signature Show
- Best in Show Coastal 2024 Carolina Fair – Fine Art Exhibition
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, completely embodies gratefulness. He has been through the ringer; he’s been around and seen it all. He has overcome much and finally come to realize that gratitude is the source of true joy and meaning. He has discovered grace. He now lives in humility and possesses a gentle strength of acceptance. The gesture in the pose also suggests that we are stronger together, that by helping each other, we are all made better.
continued . . .
Jimmy contacted me, wanting to sell me a couple paintings 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.
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Additional information
| Dimensions | N/A |
|---|---|
| Type of Work | Original Painting by Robert Maniscalco, Giclee – archival inks, stretch on canvas, Artists Proof (AP) – archival inks and paper |
1 review for Gratitude
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robert maniscalco –
Robert
I would like to tell you my experience the first time I viewed your painting “Gratitude.” But first, let me share a little bit of my background.
I am retired, but I have worked for over 40 years in jail ministry in a facility that housed 1,600 inmates with an annual population of over 20,000. I started as a volunteer at the urging of my father, as well as my grandfather, who both volunteered in jail ministry. The last 20 years I had the privilege of serving as head chaplain. God has used me over the years to help countless men make changes in their lives, some small and some large but all life altering. We have gotten deeply involved with many men over the years even having some live in our home for a period of time until they were able to get back on their feet. I am not an emotional person rater more logic driven, which has served me well working with people who tend to make decisions based solely on emotions.
I have always been mildly interested in paintings more so landscapes because they reminded me of places we have visited and loved. My father took painting classes, as did I for a short period, enough to gain an appreciation for the craft.
We went to Art Prize more out of a desire for something to do with my wife and daughter on a Saturday afternoon than anything else. In touring the NOW gallery I saw many interesting pieces and marveled at the artist’s ability. When I came up to your portrait “Gratitude” something pulled me into it. I had never experienced something like that before and didn’t really understand it. I stood there for a long while but others were lining up behind me so I moved on. Later I came back, when it was clear, and looked at it again. It then dawned on me what was so transfixing about the painting; it was that it summed up for me 40 years of jail ministry.
Let me explain: Inmates in the jail are highly manipulative by and large. Many talk about changing their lives but what they really mean is that they want to change their circumstances. God has allowed me to come in contact with a small minority of people over the years that have come to the point that they will do “whatever it takes to change.” What a chaplain needs is a spirit of discernment to tell the difference. The first clue to this is the look in their eyes. Yes, the same look that Jimmy has in his eyes.
A painting has never emotionally touched me, so for me it was a bit unnerving. I couldn’t stop thinking about it that night and the next day had to go back and view it again. I would think that an emotion like gratitude would be close to impossible to convey through a painting, but I feel you have captured it. After further reflection what I saw was Jimmy signifying with clasp hands that what he had found was real, it was the truth, and he was never letting go. His big strong-arms conveyed resolve and his hardened face longevity of the search.
I myself have a past, have searched and found what changed my life. I have a high degree of certainty that it is also what Jimmy found.
Thank you for making this all real to me in your painting and allowing me to place it in my home. I apologize for the long letter but I could not think of another way to explain this to you clearly.
PS I can’t wait for Grace and Humility
Thanks again
Bill Buuresma