Neo-Impressionist Painter Gregory A. Page Receives Rave Reviews Following Art Exhibition

Online, January 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - This past Friday, January 6, Neo-Impressionist artist Gregory A. Page displayed his paintings at the acclaimed Chicago restaurant Francesca's Forno, and received such a good response, he has been invited by the owners to come back again next month to showcase his diverse portfolio.

"Francesca's Forno is one of the most well-known restaurants in Chicago, and it was an honor to be invited to share my art with them," said Page. "This was a fun event; fantastic food, great drinks and a wonderful vibe. The staff really took care of making the food and atmosphere perfect. All that attended really liked being surrounded by art, great food and drink."

Art has been coursing through Page's body since he was a child, where he was raised in a family of graduate school artists. He went on to independently study art to further his knowledge through high school, college and graduate school.

Although he began full-time painting in 2004, Page has quickly established himself with an impressive portfolio of over 70 original paintings in which he displays his versatility as a painter.

"For me, becoming an artist has never been about worldwide recognition, fame and fortune," says Page, who discourages the sale of original paintings. "It is about tapping into my artistic presence and taking things I love, bringing them to life on a blank canvas, and sharing them with the world."

Gregory Allen Page is a Chicago-born artist who pioneered the artistic movement Chicago Impressionism, a genre influenced and inspired by the impressionist paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Painters in this genre study the Impressionist paintings housed in the Art Institute (as opposed to formal art school training) to create art with an Impressionistic influence.

His work has been described by critics as Van Gogh-esque, but with a pulse. Page's works are raw and personal, with an expressive impasto application of paint. Page formed the school of Chicago Impressionism through thousands of hours of direct study of the art at the Chicago Art Institute and a comprehensive analysis of the sketch books of Renoir, Seurat, Sargent and Monet.

Capturing the contradiction of the material and the ethereal, Page combines social commentary with an artistic confession of spirituality. His female nudes hearken back to classical figures, while they are also portrayed with strikingly contemporary shades and coloring. Page says he's been inspired by Impressionism, but he has also inherited Egon Schiele's eye for the body and its contortions, coupled with a pop art social critique.

He uses color with unconventional daring, and his subjects, whether friends, archetypes or movie stars, are recognizable to us, but they have also been transformed by this artist's vision of his own unique worlds.

Page states, "Oil painting is not photography. The soul of the painter is in the freedom of his hand and the brush."

For more information on Gregory Allen Page or to view or purchase paintings, please visit www.chicagoimpressionism.com. To follow the artist on Facebook visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gregory-A-Page-Chicago-Impressionist-Artist/276383822417720.