Robert Najlis Receives Fulbright Scholarship
I have been awarded a Fulbright scholarship. The Fulbright scholarship, whose goal is to improve intercultural relations, is one of the most competitive and prestigious fellowship programs in the world.
Ma Yuan (馬遠, c.1160-1225), Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Album leaf, ink and color on silk, 27.4 x 43.1 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei
For my scholarship research, I will go to China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China to study Chinese painting and calligraphy. In particular, I will study the art of the Song dynasty and the integration of the three perfections of painting, poetry and calligraphy which was raised to a high level during that time period.
My research will be focused on the philosophical and aesthetic theories of the artwork, aided by practical study of Chinese painting and calligraphy. I will also maintain a studio in China where I will complete a body of work based on what I learn during my research project. In addition to studying Chinese art, I will share my knowledge of Western painting, garnered from my studies at UMass Dartmouth, as well as from my background in the lineage of the New York School of abstract artists through my study at the Art Students League of New York. I will share my work through dialogue with other artists, as well as public talks and exhibitions.
Emergent Phenomena
Sound and Painting Interaction
Sound programmed in Supercollider
Arduino with Ultrasonic Sensor
Running on Raspberry Pi
Oil paint and flax fiber on linen
5’x7’
I work primarily in abstract oil paintings, at times augmented by sound art. I investigate our relationship to the resonant nature of reality. I am particularly interested in questions of immanence and transcendence, and the philosophical consequences of those questions. My work makes use of both Western and Chinese artistic processes and philosophies, derived from a shifting set of axioms with which to view the world; allowing for altering paradigms in how we think and perceive. My recent work brings together my research in sound art and artificial intelligence, as I combines oil paintings with audio synthesis and algorithmic composition mediated through sensors to create an interactive environment. The physical presence of my painting play an important role in creating a resonant space shared between viewer and work. My work has shown nationally and internationally in locations including New York City, China, and Argentina.
