Creating art is in Joe DiBella’s DNA. And the current UMW Galleries exhibition Breath that Fades Away by the distinguished professor of art underscores his inspired passion.
“I just have a compulsion to create,” said DiBella. “This is my most
coherent and diversified collection yet, in terms of technical approach.”
The exhibition, on display in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery through Sunday, Oct. 11, focuses on the fleeting nature of beauty. Through multiple mediums of acrylics, watercolor and charcoal, DiBella uses images of clouds as a metaphor for human life.
“Clouds are natural phenomena, indicators of weather patterns, bodies that float in the curved canopy above us, separating the Earth’s outermost field and the heavens,” DiBella said in his artist’s statement. “They are barriers, openings, symbolic bearers of foreboding and hope. They reflect and absorb light, have mass and volume, and overlap in space as any objects do. Some are turbulent while others hover unnoticed. All are temporary and eventually fade. They are like our lives.”
A faculty member of UMW since 1977, DiBella has served as chair of the Department of Art and Art History, director of University Galleries and co-director of the University’s program in Urbino, Italy. He received his bachelor’s degree in art history from Rutgers University and master’s degrees in painting from Northern Illinois University. A member of the National Watercolor Society, DiBella’s artwork has been exhibited in regional, national and international venues.
UMW Galleries Director Rosemary Jesionowski describes DiBella’s works as beautifully layered and masterfully crafted.
“From the use of materials to exploration of ideas, Professor DiBella truly exemplifies what we teach our students in the studios every day,” said Jesionowski, who also is associate professor of art. “This exhibition is especially impactful because it’s an opportunity for our students to see that their faculty are professional artists.”
Breath That Fades Away is one of two current exhibitions at UMW Galleries. The Rat’s Nest, an installation by College of Charleston Assistant Professor of Sculpture Jarod Charzweski, is on display through Oct. 11 at the duPont Gallery.
