art is a relationship: your response is crucial!

Review - by Taylor Bolton, USA

There is something about the quest to find oneself – especially as a woman. We find infinite ways to express ourselves, whether through the clothes we wear or the way we hold our bodies. We change our faces with make-up. We wear push up bras. We put on high heels and dresses and we walk around in the world looking for respect and trying to make something of ourselves and understand the people around us, and it is an incredible challenge. And within us all, there is a burning fire, our own personal identity that we need to let out and express. Noel Gazzano's work embodies this feeling, this journey of expression, of self-discovery, of the challenge of being one's true self. With her bold colors and strong strokes, she expresses both the force that exists within the self – the burning passion that we have within us, and simultaneously expresses a certain intimacy and vulnerability that is hard even to put into words. For example, her paining “The Emergence of Self,” is a perfect example of this dichotomy of intensity and vulnerability. The bare canvas that is still visible shows the raw material from which everyone must begin – the tabula rasa that everyone is given at birth. From that emerges this woman, naked and therefore vulnerable, but strong and powerful, rendered in bold, brilliant colors, with strong brush strokes, purposeful in their quasi-ambiguity. And you see parts of her fade into the canvas, parts of her stand out strong, almost defiant. What I love about Noel's work is seeing the mutability of self, seeing the many different facets of women and of humans expressed in her work – a visual representation of her work in Anthropology. I love seeing the visual representation, for example, of a woman taking off her many masks in order to be intimate with another person – casting away the facade that she puts on for the world and allowing herself to be vulnerable and open to another. I love seeing the representation of oneself in the place of Eve, imagining that she is the beginning of womankind, but also that she is all women, surrounded by apples or the many sins of the self and of the world. Take “Il Rifiuto è Speranza,” for example. This painting is a powerful representation of the terrible things that women face in this world. Evil men who degrade women, women who give in to the degradation and the stereotypes, evil powers in the world, all charging the woman, all trying to attack her with the bloody teeth of lust and power and hate. But there this woman stands, naked and vulnerable, but placing her hand up powerfully to say “No, I have had enough. I will not let you consume me as well.” It is a strong and moving representation of female empowerment and the desire and ability to decide one's own future and one's own identity. It is a call to all to refuse to be beaten, to refuse to be consumed by the negativity that there is in this world. It is profound, especially in this context, to see Noel's exploration of herself, of what it is to be a woman. Her art is a clear expression of her own feelings about the self, about inner and outer beauty, and is strongly connected to her intellectual pursuits in Anthropology (June 2012).

A Passport To Noel - by Sarah Croft, USA

The whimsicality of Noel Gazzano’s work is a feat accomplished by only the most passionate of artists. As some may describe themselves as citizens of the world – Noel is clearly an artist of the world. Her work transcends boundaries set by language, borders and beliefs, joining us as viewers. Ultimately we are all simply connecting to her thoughts due to the mastery of color and honesty of subject.

The emergence of Self includes personal depictions reminiscent of one’s private journal. Noel offers her soul on canvas – viewers need only enjoy and feel. Oh, to feel! Noel’s paints awaken the senses, demanding an emotional response. Seeing her perspective of diverse anatomical beauty caused a shift in how I saw my own self. I was presented with an appreciation and romance for my contours. This toast to femininity revealed by her full body portraits is enough to fill all women with pride.

Her metaphors reveal an expertise of the human psyche, which in turn, displays her mastery of anthropology. A Metaphor of Intimacy explains love, in the simplest of forms. To love and be loved, it shows we must reveal ourselves completely. It can be daunting when there are so many layers to peel off – numerous masks as portrayed – but the result is as pure as her white canvas.

Noel befriends ambiguity and uses it as a tool to draw in her audience. Take the Study for a Corsican Sunset in Colourscapes for example. I feel as though Noel delved into my memories and extracted a sunset experienced in Oia, Santorini. It has just enough detail to depict a personal vision yet enough indistinctness to relate to other landscapes. Surely her mosaic of colors, if they could see it, would speak to as many sunsets as it speaks to people.

The most powerful collection, in my opinion, is mi dipingo donna. Her Danza d’amore achieves a depiction of sexual beauty without crossing into vulgarity. It captures expressions of love with the softest of strokes. For me it serves as a metaphor for life because we all are the product of love and experience the act in different ways. All different colors intermingle – mixing and loving one another – just like humanity.

All women should view the confrontation depicted in Il Rifiuto è Speranza. Noel’s anthropological background has clearly built her intuitiveness to the pressures females face in society. Whether facing chauvinism, stereotypes or any other feeling of inadequacy – Noel presents a role model and savior against it. Her protagonist sits tall, protective and bravely nude in the face of the antagonist of oppression.

Noel’s art has taken me on the journey of self-discovery she experienced in producing the work. The images emphatically propel confidence and love in a search for identity. I look forward to the day she can display my soul on a canvas however, until then, I’m more than fulfilled consuming the magnificence already put forth (June 2012).

Review - by Hector Cronos Godoy, Mexico

I can proudly say that I know Noel as the wonderful anthropologist and teacher that she is. It has been a while since I have been able to talk with her face to face and absorb her views on life, however there is another medium to take in her passion and eccentricity; her art. Noel’s artwork is pure evidence of how good of an analyst she really is; something that all anthropologists should own. Her approach towards light and color is an ode to her daily analysis of life and how her focus is subjected to the relativism we all take for granted. Her stroke mannerisms make evident how much of her attitude just flows onto the canvas just like her words flow with heavy doses of information but without becoming overwhelming. When it comes to her way of portraying the female body you can’t help but be taken aback by the strong visual impact these have, it is like visualizing female empowerment and it’s movement. The subtle movement in the subjects makes them evolve beyond lines and color into icons simply by embracing the grace of the mundane.
To know Noel is to know that you’re in for a ride, a fun ride. You will learn about things that you were not expecting to be oblivious about and yet you find yourself wanting more knowledge on a matter you believed to have mastered. It is the simple things in our everyday life that make up the gestalt of it all, becoming the pinnacles of our very own nature and core. What Noel does with her artwork is deconstruct this information with imagery making it impossible not to analyze and take a moment from our “hectic” routines and take a more painstaking look into our own lives. Subtlety and intensity merge in her paintings giving the world the right amount of information to digest, thus creating a soothing feeling of understanding and completion. It is palpable in her work that she is striving to get somewhere beyond the physical barrier, and for that metaphysical journey of self-discovery and outer comprehension I applaud her and encourage everyone to join her on the ride (July 2012).