March 2011

Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Offers Works by Ralph Turturro

Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Not By Words Alone, featuring paintings by New York artist, Ralph Turturro, on view from Mar. 2 - 31, 2012. A reception will be held on Mar. 2, from 5-8pm.

Turturro’s love of writing and painting has become the basis for this exhibition. “Ralph’s work screams ‘New York’ to me,” says Larry Elder who has chosen the artwork for Turturro’s debut show in Charlotte. “His paintings are raw, earthy, textured portrayals of elements that comprise his life as a painter and writer whose roots run deep into New York.”

Turturro was born in 1957 to a typical Italian family with aunts, uncles, and cousins all living close by in Queens, New York. As a teenager he ventured into stand-up comedy with his cousin, actor John Turturro.

Like his father, who was an impersonator and performer, Ralph and John Turturro picked up his love for mimicry and joined their family on an artistic journey. His cousin, Aida Turturro played Janice on the acclaimed HBO Series The Sopranos. Her father, Dominick, converted an old synagogue into a painting studio with three floors of balconies and filled it with large abstract paintings, launching his own love for art and becoming Ralph’s artistic mentor.

Ralph’s family came from a time, soon after the war, when Americans were the good guys and all things were possible. The Turturros played out that American dream and succeeded in their own special ways. Ralph painted furiously as a child and today is an art teacher and an accomplished abstract painter.

Turturro’s life in New York has rewarded him with the gift of discovery. While exploring his boyhood neighborhood in Brooklyn he became acutely aware of the physical world around him and the colors, textures, and light that made up his world. His observations led to a quest to break through the temporal, illusive flash of the physical world to reach a place that was more real.

The artist’s educational path took him to the University of Wisconsin and then on to Pratt Institute where he received his MFA degree. He completed post graduate work at Queens College and Brooklyn College.

“My paintings express my continually evolving response to everything I come in contact with - people, conversations, music, film, poetry, literature, street signs, nature, and art” says Turturro.

A second exhibition of Turturro’s art will be held at the Gallery at Carillon located in the Carillon Building on Trade Street in Charlotte’s center city. This exhibition is open to the public and will on display from Mar. 5 through June 30, 2012.

The Elder Gallery at Atherton Mill in Charlotte is also presenting The Plansky Collection: A Lifetime of Painting by Carl Plansky, on view through Mar. 31, 2012. Historic Atherton Mill is the site for the first showing of selected paintings and drawings from the Plansky Collection. Visit (www.elderart.com) for hours of operation and more details.

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337 or visit (www.elderart.com).

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