Trained in art in Albania, Joseph Kote relocated to Greece to further pursue his artistic endeavors. Finally he crossed the Atlantic to live in Toronto and now resides in New York leaving his impressionable mark upon the art world everywhere he has lived. He has an abstract expressive style rendered almost entirely with the strokes of a broad paintbrush that bring to life a beautiful balance of uniquely muted tones and warm brilliant highlights. Find more about him below or on our website: www.hansongalleryfineart.com.
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| Summertime II |
In 1964, a star was born. In the scenic port town of Vlore, Albania, modern master Josef Kote emerged eager to share his unique vision with the world. Kote began a journey towards artistic self-discovery in his youth and never looked back. Discovering his artistic talent at the tender age of 14, Kote entered a competition to secure a spot at a prestigious art school. He was subsequently accepted into ''The National Lyceum of Arts” in Tirana, where he began in earnest to pursue his traditional European Art school education. He studied there for four years.
Desperate to turn his passion into a viable career, and knowing the importance of further training, Kote decided to take his talent to university. He entered another competition and was again awarded entry, this time at the “Academy of Fine Arts of Tirana.” In 1988, Kote graduated from the Academy, receiving his Diploma in Painting and Scenography. The same year, Kote also produced a small but well-received animated film entitled “lisi.”
In 1990, he relocated to Greece and began working as a freelance visual artist. In this new environment, Kote’s style evolved and flourished. During the decade he resided in Greece, Kote was acknowledged by numerous prestigious artists, as well as public and private collectors. His elevated status in the art world led to many great commissions. In the year 2000, for example, Kote was commissioned by the Greek community of Toronto to paint the likeness of the visiting President of Greece, Konstantinos Stephanopoulos.
Always looking to widen his scope, Kote moved to Toronto immediately following the infamous Stephanopoulos commission. Toronto proved an easy transition for the artist. Not one to wait for good fortune to fall in his lap, Kote took to the streets right away, marching into Toronto’s top galleries.
For the next ten years, Kote continued to garner critical acclaim. The artist saw his dream develop before his very eyes; the fruits of decades of labor fully realized. In 2009, he began his most recent artistic and spiritual journey, and for the third time, completely uprooted himself. He landed in The Big Apple, one of the greatest hubs for cultural and artist expression there is.
Today, Kote still resides and paints in New York City. But who knows what beautiful permutations the future holds for one of modern art’s greatest voices.
For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.
Jaline Pol has been featured in our gallery for close to a decade and has been loved and collected by visitors from all over the world. She has a remarkable passion for life that is clearly reflected in her use of vibrant colors and the intense dimensionality of her work. Having been classically trained at the same school of Impressionism that Degas, Renoir, and Monet were trained, Jaline Pol takes the patient medium of oil paint to a whole new level in an active seizing of the moment through use of a pallet knife. Learn more about her below and at our website: www.hansongalleryfineart.com.
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| Emotion of Happiness |
The reaction to Jaline Pol's work is immediate and intense. She is one of the finest contemporary French impressionists of our time. Jaline has been influenced by many of the places where she visited or lived. These places include France, Cameroon, New Caledonia, the Middle East and Bora Bora. JalinePol was born in Northern France in 1946.
She studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. Her colors are bright and daring. A myriad of warm tones catch the eye and bring a smile to the face of the beholder. They evoke and provoke a happy mood.
Some of her bouquet paintings are almost monochrome in which she experiments with various tones and shades of a color, highlighting and reinforcing each one through the 'contrast' with another nuance. Her colors represent the seasons: spring yellows, summery reds, autumnal ochre and sienna, winter blues and whites. These latter 'cold colors' are particularly effective as they create a reposeful, comforting ambience that is pleasing to the spirit.
JalinePol works exclusively with a palette knife which renders a three dimensional relief, giving the illusion of sculpted paint. She masters thick layers of paint on the smallest to the largest of surfaces, from the leaf of a flower to the vast expanse of meadow. One is attracted to the tactile nature of her works and this often provokes a desire to 'pick the flowers'. She even taught palette knife technique at group workshops in her hometown of Lille, France.
Realism goes hand in hand with illusion and fleeting impressions. One could be walking through a field of poppies and yet it is almost as if you can see the wind. Her style is inspired by the great masters of the Impressionist movement, but has evolved and developed giving her works a unique, original feel and touch. Movement suffuses her works. They exude the dynamism of marching armies, rippling waters, swaying cornfields and dancing flowers.
JalinePol's talent knows no bounds - skillful use of her technique, harmonious mélange of colors and thought-provoking, poetic titles. Nothing is left to chance. Her artistic mastery is confirmed in her career of over 30 years.
For questions or more information please email us info@hansongalleryfineart.com or call us at (415) 332-1815.
