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| Detail from Family Islands by A. Gassel |
Alexander Gassel does paintings which are in the style of Medieval and Early Renaissance painting, but he does not limit himself to Biblical themes alone. There are a few paintings on view at North River Gallery (See page above) which are commentaries on contemporary culture including Family Islands which has multiple figure groupings in it. It is a reflection on what it is to be a family in the
United States. “The family builds islands of love where they live and love
together. Life is inside the family, and wherever one may go, the family is not
apart from them, it is carried with them and they always return to the family. In the old country (rural Russia prior to 1980) all people knew each other. A whole village could be
relatives. But in the USA, people live separately, like islands. A village back then may
have only 20 houses. If one drinks, the whole village knows it.”