Joseph Canger (born 1956, Saugerties,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) is an American

contemporary artist Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art i ...

Biography

Canger began his art career as a painter, painting portraits for classic rockers like

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...

. He later became a lifecaster, creating sculptures for punk rocker

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

and funk rockers Johanna Stahley and Spredhaus. Canger graduated from the

Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art (NSFIA) was a city-run vocational and art school in Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 1882 as the Evening Drawing School, its name was changed in 1909 to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts, and changed agai ...

in 1982, where he studied realistic drawing under instructor

Leo Dee Leo Dee (July 8, 1931—November 22, 2004) was an American artist and teacher. A native of Newark, New Jersey, he achieved first regional and then national prominence for his "incredibly detailed" and realistic silverpoint drawings that conveyed ...

. His artwork was displayed at the

Newark Museum The Newark Museum of Art, formerly known as the Newark Museum, in Newark, New Jersey is the state's largest museum. It holds major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia (including a large collection of T ...

as a part of NSFIA's Centennial Show. Canger later earned his degree in

The Arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of m ...

from the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

, where he studied hyper-realism in sculpture. Canger's ''Dali Skull'' sculpture is displayed in the Fine Art Gallery of the International Life Cast Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It was created in 2005 and is made of painted fiberglass-filled plaster on wood.

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

Playmate Helena Antonaccio appeared in Playboy Magazine standing beside her sculpture created by Canger, and Playboy model Michelle Diamond was featured with Canger in a life-casting segment for "The Living Edge" television show. In 2005, Canger received an International Humanitarian Award from the Association of Lifecasters International and received a second ALI award the following year in the "Most Outrageous" category.

Religious reflection

The Center for Worship Resourcing from the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

General Board of Discipleship offers "Worship Planning Helps" to help engage thought-provoking dialectic within their congregations. They explored suffering using art as a source of reflection. "

Guernica Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the municipality of Gernika-Lumo ...

" by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

was the featured painting, but they also found Canger's work to be even more provocative and disturbing. "Labor Pains", by Canger, is very physical and graphic. The GBOD felt it might be useful and provocative if the people were up to engaging art of this intensity. Canger's work has found a home in various churches regardless of domination. Whether they are traditional religious paintingsGrace Church Lutheran Church, Perth Amboy, NJ – "The Transfiguration", "Christ with Children" Paintings - http://www.josephcanger.com/paintings-christ.htm and stained-glass windows or his unorthodox sculptures, his art is appreciated for its unique spiritual message.

References

External links

Joseph Canger Website

The Association of Lifecasters International

The International Life Cast Museum

Joseph Canger Sculptures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canger, Joseph 1956 births 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American male artists American male sculptors 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists Photorealist artists Sculptors from New York (state) American surrealist artists Living people