About The Artist

Charles Griffith's interest in art began as a child. By the age of thirteen, he was already learning the fundamentals of draughtsmanship by copying the drawings of Michelangelo and other Renaissance masters. During this time he was encouraged not only by his family but also by his high school art teacher. Later, while serving with the U.S. Army in West Germany he was able to visit some of the great museums of Europe, such as the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Experiencing the work of the Old Masters firsthand made a lasting impact on him.

Then, while recuperating from an injury, he began a serious study of drawing, design and painting, studying and taking notes from art-related books in his local library, which led him in the direction of his current creative endeavors, a contemporary interpretation of Traditional Realism. Inspired by such artists as El Greco, Caravaggio, and artists as diverse as the European Expressionists and Surrealists, Charles Griffith has created a large selection of works over the years in oil, acrylic, pen and ink, charcoal, watercolor and pastel, covering a wide range of themes and subject matter, ranging from traditional motifs to the fantastic.

Now living and working in Monroe, North Carolina, the artist, whose work has been featured in newspapers, books, calendars, prints and numerous Internet galleries, is offering reasonably priced artwork for those who are new to the world of fine art collection, and to those who already have some experience. So take your time and peruse the following pages at your leisure, and enjoy the Art Of Charles Griffith.

The Artist And His Work

"Although I have done works in more modern styles, I have found traditional realism to be the best vehicle for my goals as an artist. And it is a fortunate thing too, as realism and figurative work is making a comeback in mainstream western art. Of course, it never really vanished, as the painters Lucian Freud and David Hockney have demonstrated in their careers.

"The general trend in modern times has been the simplification of the visual elements that make up the subject. This began with the Impressionists and continued through the Abstract Impressionists. But how far can you simplify the subject? To a blank canvas? To no canvas at all? There is a point at which the modern artist has to rediscover the inherent aesthetic value of reality.

"A cow suspended in a tank of formaldehyde or elephant shit splattered on the Virgin Mary are worn out "artistic statements." They pose the same question that Marcel Duchamp did when he painted a urinal, turned it upside down and called it art. Duchamp's act was significant at the onset of the twentieth century; it forced us to question what constitutes art. Now it is simply redundant.

"There have always been certain characteristics that human beings associate with beauty. We admire the Roman murals found in Pompeii, the woodcut prints of the Japanese and the Mona Lisa, even though they are centuries old. We can relate to these masterpieces, I think, because we can more readily see ourselves in these images. Will future generations find these qualities in the Holy Mother smeared in animal excrement? Or Yoko Ono's tiny black dot on a large white wall? There should be skill in art, and lasting value that can be appreciated throughout time.

"Andrew Wyeth has painted in a realistic style in tempera throughout his career, and his paintings have resonated with critics and the public irrespective of current trends in art. Naturally he is considered one of the great American artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I can only hope that my work can one day be seen in a similar light."

Charles Griffith
June, 2006

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Please visit the link below if you would like to purchase some of the artwork here, or to send us your comments and suggestions. Please be sure to read our privacy statement. This link will take you to our purchase and contact page:

charles_griffith@lycos.com
204 East Houston St.
Monroe, North Carolina USA
28112-5511
(704) 289-3972

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