Biography
James Gielfeldt is a Fine Artist residing in Welland, Ontario where he teaches in the Graphic Design and Art and Design Fundamentals Programs at Niagara College.
James is of Scandinavian, German and Scottish background. The influences from these Northern European cultures in no small way impact the subject matter and even the approach to his artwork.
James reluctantly shows his work in public shows and has twice been accepted to the Florence Biannale, in Florence, Italy.
Patrons from around the world including Italy, U.S.A. and Great Britain as well as Canada have James' work in their collections.
Artist's Statement
Although I do work from models, and life in general, much of my work is purely from memory or imagination. I thrive in the accident, or the experimental, using whatever is needed at the time, and to try to alter the viewer's perception of the subject matter. Realism, or a re-creation of nature as one sees it is not my goal.
Picasso, El Greco, Modigliani, Egon Schiele, Frederick Varley, Willem de Kooning, Frida Khalo, Edward Burra and Basquiat are a few of the artists that inspire me.
A Critic's Words (2010?)
I happened to meet James while my friend, Grazia Azzali, also an Artist, was here from Italy. We met at Wyland Gallery in Niagara Falls. If you know James personally you would agree with me that his presence can be daunting. But beneath his robust exterior lies the ever so delicate soul of an artist . Unfortunately our conclusions are drawn from an individual's exterior, but this is only a façade, especially for James. We talked at length about what art is and about what makes an artist great, not only in Niagara Region, but in Canada and the World in general.
I am glad we had such conversations because quite a few interesting things were said. He invited me to visit his website and to tell him my honest opinions.
I enjoyed his website because I saw something different. As one may judge a person's exterior, one may also judge the exterior of a painting. For someone who at first sees James' work, the impression could be that the artist is experimenting with different techniques or styles because of the personal necessity of finding his own.
But a common denominator is clearly visible in his paintings, it is the innate sense of a gothic perception of his subjects. The Venus Series - Panels 8 feet by 1 foot - in particular are what have made me realize that this artist has inside of him, jealously preserved until now, the necessity of recalling and reanalyzing this (Gothic) period of human history, as well as all of art history. Something which is appreciated only because of the European architectural evidence and some "famous painters".
He is the first artist that senses this contemporary exigency to analyze a period of history that, in my opinion, has been almost forgotten. We remember always the artists of the Rennaissance such as Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo Da Vinci as the greatest artists that ever lived. But what about the artists of the Gothic period that have created these greats, the precursors of the Renaissance, artists Like Giotto, Masaccio or Mantegna.
James has understood that what is vital for an artist is to connect with his "ancestral heritage". We try to forget that, as Thomas Stearns Elliot once wrote: "...no artists of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone, you must set him for contrast and comparison, among the dead".
This is what James is looking for: not a style or a technique but a relation between his work and the work of his ancestors
Alessandra Fierimonte
The Venus Series living in Studio 207
