MAURICE SULLINS
Tahitian Paradise
July 5 - August 5, 2020
It is quite an extraordinary feat to be able to capture the beauty and essence of an environment without ever having set foot there. An intuitive, almost subliminal connection to the universe would explain one’s ability to imagine and record the mystical sceneries that exist in other parts of the world. Such were the methods and skills of painter Maurice Sullins. Entirely self-taught without ever having left Illinois, Sullins imagined and graced us with his dreamlike visions of the universe, filled with poetry and color.
The selection of paintings in this exhibition,Tahitian Paradise, are some of his very early works, made within the first months of his sudden creative urge to paint when he turned 60 in 1970. Although Sullins never went to Tahiti and it is unknown why Polynesia was the starting point in his short painting career, his magnificent narratives about the island and its surroundings, along with his whimsical titles offer a glimpse into his astonishing creative process.
