Benjamin Lussier: Monhegan Etc
July - August 2019
Benjamin Lussier is a landscape painter based in New York City. Lussier discovered his love for painting at an early age through the influence of his father, David, who gave him instruction in the basics of painting and composition throughout childhood and adolescence. A native of New England, Lussier draws on his love of rural landscape for his choice of subject matter, and is especially engaged by scenes that suggest human beings in dialogue with elements of the natural world. Working primarily in the plein air tradition, Lussier sees his calling as a painter as a philosophical one. The eye of a casual observer is routinely focused on the material existence of things in the world and largely overlooks the subtle phenomena of color, light, and atmosphere. The painter’s task is to draw attention back to these neglected elements of vision, reminding his viewer of the miraculous nature of perception. Lussier strives to make his paintings the occasion for visual dialogue, aiming to produce work that can inform and enrich the viewer’s own relationship with the visible world.
Lussier exhibits promising talent very early in his career. He has exhibited in several national, juried exhibitions, and his paintings have been honored with multiple awards from the Salmagundi Club in New York City. His work is viewable at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, NY; the Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island, ME; as well the Todd Bonita Art Gallery in Ogunquit, ME.
When he isn't painting, Lussier continues work on his doctoral dissertation in Russian literature at Columbia University.