Williamsburg Art Gallery owner and artist Gulay Berryman joins nearly 170 other artists as a member of the New Jersey-based Art Renewal Center, a juried program meant to promote talented visual artists who emphasize traditional styles and techniques.
“I was thrilled. I’m humbled,” Berryman said. “I’m very excited to be a part of this.”
Businessman and art collector Frederick Ross founded the center in 1999 in response to the contemporary art movement that gained traction following World War II and moved away from traditional artistic standards. The organization emphasizes more realistic paintings and sculptors alongside skills and techniques honed across more than 2,000 years of art history.
“That’s what he’s bringing back,” Berryman said. “There was a period where everything stood still.”
Artists can submit their work on the center’s website to be judged by four or more of its judges. Berryman was selected for the “Living Artist” level, one of three alongside “Associate Living Master” and “Living Master.” According to the center, a “Living Artist” painter showcases a realistic style and an explicit understanding of painting fundamentals, such as accuracy, perspective, composition and the use of lighting.
Other center artists include artist, author and instructor Juliette Aristides, as well as Nelson Shanks, an American painter known for his portraits of Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II and others.
Center-approved schools around the globe convey these ideals to the next generation of creative minds. Such institutions include the New York Academy of Art, the Paris Academy of Art and the Academy of Fine Art Germany. The organization’s website also serves as an online database of its artists’ works.
“It’s invaluable,” Berryman said.
The group’s mission recalls the artistic contributions of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and the others.
“It is very important because this is our heritage,” Berryman said.
Interested?
For more information on the Art Renewal Center, visit artrenewal.org.
The Williamsburg Art Gallery at 440A W. Duke of Gloucester St. operates 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m Sunday. Admission is free. For more information and upcoming events, visit wmbgartgallery.org.
