My solo exhibition ‘Illuminating Dickens’ opens on Thursday, November 1st at Gallery 1516.
This exhibition features almost 50 new drawings and paintings intimately entwined in the timeless narrative of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. The paintings were created for The Easton Press limited edition release which is now sold out. This is the first time that the public will be able to view the entire collection that I created.
You can see a PDF catalog of some of the pieces in the upcoming show at this link…
Published 175 years ago, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was an instant bestseller, followed by countless print, stage and screen productions. Dickens loved his childhood Christmases, but it was a far less happy childhood memory that initially inspired A Christmas Carol, a memory recalled by an 1843 government report on child labor. Dickens himself had at age twelve been sent to work 10-hour days in a rat-infested factory, and the report so incensed him that he resolved to publish a pamphlet protesting the exploitation of the poor. Dickens first conceived of his project as a pamphlet, which he planned on calling, “An Appeal to the People of England on behalf of the Poor Man’s Child.” But in less than a week of thinking about it, he decided instead to embody his arguments in a story, with a main character of pitiable depth.
Dickens quickly realized a story would be more effective than a polemic (rant). In October 1843 he visited Manchester, and stunned by the poverty of the world's first “industrial” city, Dickens conceived the tale of a greedy businessman transformed by an eerie Christmas Eve visitation. Six weeks later, A Christmas Carol was complete. It's rare a work of fiction that changes social traditions and even inspires people to behave better, but that is what A Christmas Carol achieved almost from the day of its publication on December 19, 1843.
Dickens story is a rare glimpse into the human condition and what birth, love and death really mean. These archetypes have been with us since the beginning of storytelling and continue as constant reminders of what life really means.
If you are in Omaha, Nebraska on November 1st please come out to the exhibition at Gallery 1516 located at 1516 Leavenworth St, Omaha, Nebraska. Doors open 6:30-9:00pm 402.305.1510
Thank you for your support,
Caniglia
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