All paintings are original works by Peter Lupkin with all rights reserved. If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please contact Victor Armendariz [email protected], if you have questions about specific pieces or imagery feel free to contact me through the contact page located on your left.
Artist Statement
The artwork I create is a visual response to my upbringing and influences. My work is a combination of historical symbolism and modern experience. Historical symbolism has been indoctrinated into my visual language through an apprenticeship into a multi generational stained glass studio at the age of 14 and continuing to the present day. With this as a background language I embrace modern concerns, methods and techniques and seek to connect my own experiences with contemporary society. - Peter Lupkin
The artwork I create is a visual response to my upbringing and influences. My work is a combination of historical symbolism and modern experience. Historical symbolism has been indoctrinated into my visual language through an apprenticeship into a multi generational stained glass studio at the age of 14 and continuing to the present day. With this as a background language I embrace modern concerns, methods and techniques and seek to connect my own experiences with contemporary society. - Peter Lupkin
On display at Gallery Victor Armendariz from July 12th 2019 – August 30th
Not Windmills but Giants
This series of paintings are all essentially autobiographical in nature, though only the title piece for the show is a “true” self portrait narrative painting, “Not Windmills but Giants”. The show also includes many of the supporting works that take place in the creation of a narrative painting. Some of these pieces were made before the large scale narrative piece was conceived. Through the painting of these portraits, and the understanding of an individual's personality by interacting with them during the creation of their portraits, the idea for a larger narrative work came to be. Alternatively, while making a larger narrative painting I often found myself fascinated with a person's individual story and characteristics, and choose to do a separate portrait to try to capture this. Finally, my personality has often been described as “Quixotic” (exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical) another word/phrase taken from Cervantes' Don Quixote.
Not Windmills but Giants
This series of paintings are all essentially autobiographical in nature, though only the title piece for the show is a “true” self portrait narrative painting, “Not Windmills but Giants”. The show also includes many of the supporting works that take place in the creation of a narrative painting. Some of these pieces were made before the large scale narrative piece was conceived. Through the painting of these portraits, and the understanding of an individual's personality by interacting with them during the creation of their portraits, the idea for a larger narrative work came to be. Alternatively, while making a larger narrative painting I often found myself fascinated with a person's individual story and characteristics, and choose to do a separate portrait to try to capture this. Finally, my personality has often been described as “Quixotic” (exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical) another word/phrase taken from Cervantes' Don Quixote.
The body of work, with fighters as the subject matter, was on display at Victor Armendariz Gallery Chicago IL. March 2, 2018 - April 27, 2018
Pyrrhic Victory a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way, though the heavy toll negates a true sense of achievement or profit.
This series of paintings, The “Pyrrhic Series” is about exploring the mental, physical and emotional damage that takes place in the pursuit of dreams. I have always been drawn to the concept of a Pyrrhic victory, as it applies equally to any life, or person, pursuing their ambitions. I chose to use boxers and fighters as the primary symbol of that pursuit, as their struggle towards a dream has an exceptionally visual and theatrical quality. Every upward step on a fighter's path towards a dream damages him even when he is successful. The path taken to arrive at victory often wounds him beyond repair.
Pyrrhic Victory a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way, though the heavy toll negates a true sense of achievement or profit.
This series of paintings, The “Pyrrhic Series” is about exploring the mental, physical and emotional damage that takes place in the pursuit of dreams. I have always been drawn to the concept of a Pyrrhic victory, as it applies equally to any life, or person, pursuing their ambitions. I chose to use boxers and fighters as the primary symbol of that pursuit, as their struggle towards a dream has an exceptionally visual and theatrical quality. Every upward step on a fighter's path towards a dream damages him even when he is successful. The path taken to arrive at victory often wounds him beyond repair.
