Product Description
8.5" x 5.5"
Joseph S Matose IV, Artist-Poet- passed away on October 27th, 2022.
The subject matter of the drawings ranges from closeups of individual structures to wide expanses of vistas, typically of local interest. He developed and expanded upon a technique of drawing, perhaps first encountered in his early studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and later at the University of Rhode Island (Class of 1986), whereby a student is asked to begin a sketch from life, be it a still-life, a portrait or a land- or seascape. But instead of drawing and then lifting the pencil or pen occasionally from the paper, the image is actually composed of mostly one continuous line, curving back on itself, crossing over itself, until all of the salient features of the subject are rendered according to the desire of the artist. This technique can be very successful in rendering trees and foliage, water features, skylines with cloud formations, and even human facial features. An image presented in this style tends toward the abstract rather than being naturalistic or realistic.
​A Matose Family story relates that he executed his first drawing at age two and still had it many years into his career. Known as the Artist of Newport, it is obvious from his choice of subject matter that he also spent a good deal of time on the grounds of Portsmouth Abbey, as well. His landscapes and seascapes often include one or more of the ubiquitous seagulls who make their home on or near Aquidneck Island, often rendered simply with two quick flicks of the pen. Certainly, he became acquainted with the monks, and most likely Fr. Peter Sidler and Fr. Julian Stead, artists in their own right, who probably encouraged Joe, as they did so many others. Another influence may have been Oblate Ade Bethune since Joe’s illustrations soon appeared in the newspaper of the Catholic Worker Movement. I would like to imagine that it was Dorothy Day’s statement, “God meant things to be much easier than we have made them,” which inspired Joe to maintain the simplicity of his artwork.
