STANISLAO LEPRI AT CLEARING NYC
A Roman consul turned painter, Lepri rejected opulence in favor of a bohemian life and the magical pursuit of art. In the midst of trying to make sense of a strange world while creating a new one, he navigated a love affair with Argentine artist Leonor Fini and Polish writer Constantin Jelenski. Stanislao Lepri’s art is on view now at Clearing NYC and this painterly matrix will multiple you consciousness.
Lepri invented his own style of surrealism, inspired by biblical themes, childhood memories, and inspirations ranging from Dante to Raphael. He also blends elements from Bernini's fountains and the turmoil and atrocities of World War II.
His art depicted hybrid creatures: gigantic cats, dwarfs, absurd horses, nightmarish towers of naked bodies, butterflies carrying babies, apocalyptic backdrops, demons, and people. As disturbing as they are, these demonic figures - straight out of Dante’s Inferno - were not intended to scare us but evoke a range of primal emotions.
"His fantasy is never gratuitous: originating from his deepest self, it meets the collective unconscious of our time and reflects our anxieties back to us, sweetened by a smiling irony, a tolerant wisdom," wrote Constantin Jelenski.
Lepri’s work is especially relevant today. Nothing is as it seems. Reality feels distorted, surreal, and riddled with hysteria. The modern world seems upside down, like a space time distortion straight out of the Matrix; we are forced to choose whether to recognize the truth behind the illusion or simply go with the flow, living in a narrative-fed dream. Red pill or blue pill?
Perhaps, Lepri’s vision was overlooked by the surrealists of his time. But as a true outsider, Lepri often gave us a deeper perpective. With the flow of time and anylisis of his art, we can fully appreciate his prescient vision.
Go check it out for yourself.
Stanislao Lepri
September 18, 2024 - November 2, 2024
C L E A R I N G, New York
260 Bowery, NY, 10012