Mark Cosimini
Mark Cosimini is a painter working in oils and acrylics. He has always loved to paint. In college Mark double majored in studio arts (draw- ing and painting) and political science. He then attended William Mitchell College of Law where he met his wife. The majority of his legal career was as an assistant Hennepin County Public Defender. Mark’s wife passed away in 2010. Soon after her death he retired from law and decided it was time for a change. He returned to his original love, painting.
Artist’s statement:
Mark Cosimini has created two series of paintings; Altar Pieces and Social Landscapes. Additionally, he paints landscapes and still lifes. The majority of the work presented here are Social Landscapes.
In 2013 Mark began working on the series called Altar Pieces. These are abstract studies of of the interiors of churches. Those spaces were built not only to reflect great beauty, but to represent the virtue of those who occupy it. Looking at the beauty of these spaces and the values of those who worship in those spaces, lead him to his second series, Social Landscapes.
Mark started the Social Landscapes series in 2017. These are a series of paintings focusing on the less fortunate in society. Although land- scape painting may be defined as the depiction of nature, it is much more. Landscapes have progressed from serving as the background for religious and historical paintings to being a genre in themselves. By the 19th century landscapes were part of the romantic movement in art rep- resenting the glory of God’s work, and the struggles of man against the forces of nature. By the 20th century landscapes grew to include man’s struggles in urban and industrial scenes. Mark Cosimini’s Social Land- scapes look at the forgotten struggles in the 21st century landscape and hopefully evokes the virtues we see in sacred spaces.