Valerio's allegorical realism: deceptively naturalistic in manner, James Valerio's large-scale paintings imbue meticulous depictions of daily life with an almost religious sensibility

Art in America, Jan, 2004 by Eleanor Heartney

Valerio's work exhibits an almost religious sensibility, one that seems to accept the Christian notion that the eternal realm can be viewed through the veil of ordinary visible reality. Realism seems a slightly disreputable category, these days--perhaps because it is too easily replicated and manipulated by digital technology. Nevertheless, the old-fashioned rendering of the external world by brush or pencil still holds a certain fascination. In Valerio's hands, realism goes further, reminding us that the intangible is only comprehensible through the prism of the world we see.

"James Valerio: Paintings 1993-2003" was on view at George Adams Gallery, New York [Apr. 3-May 31, 2003]. An accompanying catalogue includes an essay by John Arthur.

Author: Eleanor Heartney is a freelance critic based in New York.