Jack Farkas @ artavita

Jack Farkas

Jack Farkas’s lifelong devotion to art began on the shores of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the young artist was nurtured by the guiding hands of his godparents. Early excursions to museums—sixty years distant now—fused curiosity with passion, books and paint intertwining to shape a worldview in which art was not merely an interest, but an elemental force. “Looking at paintings and art,” Farkas recalls, “formed me and my life around and about art.” By his teens, there was little doubt: art was both calling and compass.

Farkas’s journey led him through some of the nation’s most rigorous art institutions. He earned a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, followed by an MFA at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and further graduate studies at Bradley University. At NYU, he delved deeply into art history, restoration, identification, and even art law, contributing to panels on the recovery of Holocaust-looted art with major museum authorities—a testament to both scholarly rigor and a passion for cultural preservation.

The scope of Farkas’s artistic training is as broad as it is deep. He mastered painting, printmaking, lithography, etching, woodcuts, serigraphy, drawing, color theory, design, calligraphy, typography, and even pottery at the American School of Craftsman. Yet, it was color—its language, emotion, and spiritual resonance—that emerged as his signature. “My artwork speaks the language of color, emotions, feelings, auras, energies, spirituality, and flowers,” Farkas writes. He even authored a Dictionary on the Language and Meaning of Flowers, bridging visual art and the poetry of symbolism.

His post-academic career stands as a testament to the power of an artist in community. As a professor and, later, dean at institutions in Maryland, Connecticut, and New York—including Gibbs College and Albertus Magnus College—Farkas shaped generations of artists and thinkers. He arranged exhibitions that brought luminaries such as John Taylor Arms, Robert Cottingham, Josef Albers, Robert Motherwell, and Willem de Kooning before American audiences, an achievement that drew glowing reviews, including the New York Times’s accolade, “the coup of the century.”

Farkas himself has exhibited widely: sixteen solo shows and more than eighty group exhibitions, among them the prestigious Silvermine Art of the Northeast and the Venice Biennale of Architecture and Art (Upcoming, 2025). His works have been hosted by venues like the Museum of Modern European Art in Barcelona, the HMVC Gallery, and even made a fleeting but iconic appearance in Times Square. His art, praised by critics with comparisons to Matisse but “with color all his own,” is held in museum collections and has caught the eye of notable contemporaries, including David Hockney.

Inspiration for Farkas is drawn from the essential vibrations of life itself, the energy of people striving for greatness—Churchill and Chalamet among them—a sense that the creative process is “a profound journey” meant to illumine and ease the paths of fellow travelers. Color, shape, and symbol serve not only as visual tools but as agents of emotion, meaning, and universal connection—what he calls “the language and color to speak to the viewer, creating art from the unseen or what is not seen but felt.”

Throughout his career, Farkas has also been a force in the art world’s organizational landscape, acting as president, founder, and member of associations from the New Haven Paint & Clay Club to the International Foundation for Art Research. He has served as judge and juror for major exhibitions and as an advisor to no fewer than nine organizations. An active lecturer, his voice has resonated within the halls of the world’s greatest museums—the Met, Louvre, Prado, Hermitage, Uffizi, Vatican, Guggenheim—where he has challenged audiences to see anew.

Yet, Farkas’s identity extends beyond the canvas and classroom. A self-described Renaissance man, he lives close to the land, tending an orchard and farm, practicing the old arts of winemaking and food preservation. He is a Freemason of the highest order, devoted to charitable works for children and the vulnerable, and has channeled his ingenuity into the culinary and hospitality worlds as well. “Art is the essence of life,” he asserts, “with art being everything, art is society and society is art.”

As he seeks new gallery representation, it is clear that Jack Farkas’s journey as an artist is ever-evolving, still attuned to the unseen symphonies of color and spirit. Farkas’s art has always been, and continues to be, a vibrant map for those seeking meaning in the interplay of feeling, pigment, and the living world—an invitation to experience, through color, the very energies that move us all.

Portfolio:

06. 21. 25.

This composition presents four distinct yet interconnected panels, each defined by vivid palettes and rhythmic arrangements of circular forms that dialogue across contrasting fields. The interplay of bold hues—ranging from hot pinks and vibrant yellows to rich reds and subtle greens—evokes the nuanced energies of midsummer rites and esoteric numerology. Drawing upon the symbolic resonance of Masonic numbers and the spiritual significance of the Druidic midsummer night, the work conveys a dynamic synthesis of cosmic and earthly shifts. The concentrated clusters of overlapping circles articulate a sense of motion and transformation, inviting reflection on cyclical patterns embedded within cultural and metaphysical traditions.

“06. 21. 25.”

“05. 07. 25.”

This composition captures a moment woven from historical significance and spiritual resonance, reflecting the convergence of notable occurrences—such as the recognition of Timothée Chalamet’s cinematic achievement accompanied by his lady on the red carpet, alongside profound transitions within the papal lineage. The four interlinked panels employ richly layered circular motifs and a vibrant chromatic scheme to evoke the subtle interplay of earthly celebrations and transcendent energies. Through careful modulation of color and form, the work invites contemplation of spiritual transformation, evoking esoteric rhythms underscored by nuanced numerological symbolism.

“11. 11. 25.”

Rooted in the spiritual symbolism of renewal, gratitude, and anticipation, the work channels a restorative vitality through its dynamic interplay of color and form. The textured brushwork imbues each band with tactile depth, inviting a contemplative engagement that transcends mere geometry. Inspired in part by Timothée Chalamet’s evocative film Marty Supreme Dream Big, the piece articulates a bold narrative of hope and exuberance—an invitation to embrace the transformative power of dreams and the radiant potential within the seasonal cycle.

11. 11. 25. stands as a luminous testament to the alchemy of color and culture, where late autumn’s fading warmth converges with Advent’s spiritual awakening, celebrating the enduring human impulse to envision beyond the present moment.

“12. 22. 25.”

This composition unfolds through a precise 3x3 grid, each square layered with concentric forms that explore the interplay of chromatic resonance and spatial harmony. The vibrant palette—ranging from deep blues and verdant greens to radiant reds and warm oranges—evokes the transformative energies of the winter solstice and the contemplative spirit of Advent. These hues coalesce to suggest both the crisp stillness of the season and the celebratory vibrancy found within its cultural observances. The meticulous geometry amplifies the work’s meditative quality, inviting a reflection on cyclical renewal and the nuanced dance between light and shadow. Drawing upon the rhythm of contemporary urban vitality and ancient ritual, the piece engages with restorative forces, offering a refined visual meditation on temporal transition and collective awakening.

“01. 31. 26.”

01. 31. 26. is born from the quiet alchemy of winter’s depths—a grid of nine concentric squares that embody the season’s luminous stillness and subtle pulse. Through shifting hues of vibrant and pastel tones, I explore the interplay of time, light, and renewal, inviting reflection on the cycles that carry us forward with grace and resilience. This work channels the spirit of winter’s transformative energy, honoring both rest and reawakening.

“03. 20. 26. ”

Composed of nine meticulously structured squares arranged in a precise grid, this artwork explores the profound interplay between form and hue, evoking the cyclical nature of time through vibrant concentric bands. The spectral progression of colors—ranging from fiery reds and rich oranges to serene blues and verdant greens—resonates with themes of transformation and renewal, reflecting the spiritual rhythms of the winter season. Each layered square acts as a portal, inviting contemplation of light’s gradual return following the solstice, while the harmonious geometry underscores a meditative balance between stillness and emerging vitality. The work embodies a dialogue between color’s emotive capacity and the enduring cycles of nature and celebration, articulating a universal narrative of rebirth and luminous anticipation.