Joshua Lasky brings ‘Unexpected Passion' to Roberson
Joshua Lasky's "Unexpected Passion" exhibit at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton brings new life to classic ideas
📝This week's piece comes from Jenna Szczepanski, a Broome County native musician, writer and artist. Her bandcamp profile can be found here.
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We’ve all seen photorealistic paintings, and as impressive as they are, a solo exhibition by Joshua Lasky has compelled viewers to think in reverse.
He seems to ask us, can portrait photography be done in such a manner that you feel as though you are viewing an emotional, classic painting from, say, the 17th century?
The answer: Yes.
I visited the Roberson Museum in Binghamton recently to see the self-taught Binghamton portrait artist's work in person. His exhibit, Unexpected Passion, opened on February 21.
Walking in, my eyes were first greeted by black-and-white portraits. As the exhibit continued, highlighting works ranging from the very start of Lasky’s artistic journey to his more recent series, I began to see the progression in his skill. I could see the progression of his developing interests in certain lighting and textures as I circled the gallery.
In my opinion, the most compelling images are the reimagined classics.
Lasky’s use of lighting and fabric in pieces like “Girl with a Pearl Earring, after Vermeer” (2022) could have made me believe it was painted.
I reached out to Lasky after my trip to see how he was feeling about having his work showcased at Roberson.
After a few years of potential exhibits falling through the cracks for one reason or another, Lasky said, “everything fell perfectly into place at the right time.”
“So I decided to turn the three shows I had been asked to do into one large body of work that showcases different avenues of my photography,” Lasky said.
“I’m honored to be there, especially alongside Orazio Salati, and soon Alexandra Davis and Don DeMauro.”
For those who are fans of the classics, of portraiture, or of a simple stroll around a museum with a cup of coffee from Old Barn Market – I recommend taking some time to visit this exhibit, and those of the other artists currently being hosted at Roberson, at least once before it closes on October 18.
The Roberson Museum is open during the following hours at 30 Front Street in Binghamton:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 12 PM – 5 PM
Thursday: 12 PM – 5 PM
Friday: 12 PM – 9 PM
Saturday: 12 PM – 5 PM
Sunday: 12 PM – 5 PM
Want to learn more about Joshua Lasky? Find his website here.
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