| Entering the Anderson Gallery to view Gerald Donato’s show, “Reinventing the Game,” I realized that, even though I have known him for six or seven years, I had not seen much of his work. Thus, I came to this show with an undisturbed palette. As I walked from room to room, I was continually blown away. I do not recall ever experiencing such sensations from an exhibition, except maybe the Mondrian exhibit at MoMA in 1996. There is something in the paintings of Gerald Donato. There is magic, a lift-off. Donato’s work is purely breathtaking. |  |
Man in the Box – Ron Johnson
“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on earth. “
—Mark Twain
Entering the Anderson Gallery to view Gerald Donato’s show, “Reinventing the Game,” I realized that, even though I have known him for six or seven years, I had not seen much of his work. Thus, I came to this show with an undisturbed palette. As I walked from room to room, I was continually blown away. I do not recall ever experiencing such sensations from an exhibition, except maybe the Mondrian exhibit at MoMA in 1996.
There is something in the paintings of Gerald Donato. There is magic, a lift-off. Donato’s work is purely breathtaking. The exhibition consists of a three-floor retrospective containing paintings, drawings, prints and a room full of what I would call “tribute” work by various local artists. The artist’s work is truly spontaneous, fresh and uninhibited.
The paintings consistently caught my eye. Brilliant colors guided me across the canvas, and each work has an intentional looseness—a childlike love for material that most artists strive for, but can never attain. At first, I was confused by the fact that his works were all untitled, but then I realized that this was his way of inviting the viewer into the work. In a way, he or she thus becomes involved in both creating and titling the image.
A large amount of Donato’s work contains a recurring image that appears throughout his years of creating, an image that he identifies as “Mr. Man.” The figure is a loosely appropriated image of Disney’s Steamboat Willie, the direct precursor to the figure of Mickey Mouse. However, while Steamboat Willie is a cartoon character, Donato’s image operates more like a mask. It is a way for Donato, literally, to place himself inside of his work.
The exhibition, as a whole, gave me the impression that we, as the show’s audience, are actually just visitors to Donato’s studio, and this is just how I imagine he must have wanted it. For his viewers, Donato would desire this experience of a constantly generated sense of excitement, the proverbial “tah-dah” moment that can occur during the creation process. But, he wouldn’t want this for selfish reasons. Donato would instead desire the viewer to feel exactly the way he does while creating. The works, all at once, draw us into the “Donato World,” and we are lucky to be involved. The playfulness in these artworks is truly a kind of mirror of this person. Like Donato himself, the work is a constant celebration of life, or maybe just a celebration in general.
As I left the Anderson Gallery, I was given a catalog documenting the exhibition. I walked away slowly, sifting through the pages and noticing that a number of photos showed Donato and his wife, Joan, dancing in his studio. I realized then that Gerald Donato’s works are like a dance. They are rhythmic, energetic and elevating. They make you sweat, and they make you breathe.
