Artist Statement
My paintings and monoprints express my passion for understanding how biochemical processes in the brain affect feelings, thoughts, and communication. My work also integrates my interest in the written documentation of the history of humankind and the birth and decline of ancient civilizations. A written language can be seen as a combination of signs and symbols that enable expression and communication. These signs and symbols – that are hidden in ancient languages or reflect contemporary life – have a powerful ability to attest to our presence, embody our experiences, and convey a sense of historical continuity. My compositions narrate tales of these signs and symbols through the rhythm of forms, textures, and colors.
To direct the focus of my paintings and prints on the signs and lines and their rhythms, at times I avoid using colors – or I work with a limited palette. Handwriting is a very special and individual mark of our existence – sometime the only thing that is left behind. The deconstruction of words into signs and their free assemblage lead me to a visual imagery that preserves the link to the past and projects into the future.
Recently I have become interested in giving my paintings a voice by translating the rhythms of their lines into music. | Maria Morabito
Biography
Maria Morabito's paintings and monoprints have been featured in exhibitions in galleries and cultural centers, including the Grossman Gallery of the School Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; the City Gallery, the Erector Square Gallery, and Artspace in New Haven, Connecticut; and the Moira Fitzsimmons Arons Art Gallery in Hamden, Connecticut. Maria Morabito was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Excerpts from Publications
Maria Morabito's abstract oil diptych, “Together”, conjures up a pictorial cosmos of past cultures and ancient languages. The subtle textures of layered color that evolve from beneath the surface, the rhythmic hieroglyphic-like symbols that float across the surface, form a lively vocabulary that preserves a past and stirs up the imagination.
Judy Birke, Art Critic, New Haven Register
Maria Morabito paints images inspired by signs, symbols, and alphabets. She noted that one particularly vivid series of paintings was inspired by looking at her father's handwriting. “People pass away and the only thing you have is their signature, their writing.”
Linda Cuckovich, New Haven Independent