Julian Cardinal

The Rose

2023

Julian Cardinal is from the tip of Cape Cod in Truro, Massachusetts and has showcased his vast, colorful array of feminine figures, still lifes and landscapes at prominent galleries in Burlington, VT, the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, Bridgehampton, NY, Richmond, VA, Chatham, MA, and Provincetown, MA, where his parents have owned their own business, Kiley Court Gallery, for nearly 30 years. He draws inspiration from vintage subject matter, especially early 20th century French fashion, an aesthetic component that crosses over into his real life as well. He says, “I love fashion in general and buy a lot of clothes cut by certain designers. I was inspired by the many 20th Century fashion books I had, finding myself attracted to the curved and sharp lines in the dress. Once I gain a sense of the picture's composition, I can then duplicate the images using different sized canvases, colors and line patterns. My goal is to combine the vintage style of fashion with contemporary Expressionism.” Becoming a painter was as much a matter of choice for Julian as it was part of his family’s DNA. The son of renowned Cape Cod landscape painter and gallery owner Robert Cardinal, he grew up watching his dad work in his studio, spent time at art museums, and hung around the galleries in the historic artist colony of Provincetown. At the age of 19, while enrolled as an English major with an Art minor at the University of Vermont, Cardinal began following in his father’s footsteps and created his first series of paintings that included seascapes and the figure of a fiddle player. When Cardinal was in his early 20s, he joined forces with his father and business partner to open up a gallery in Burlington that showcased his and his dad’s work as well as local artists. Another noteworthy member of Cardinal’s family is his maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Sonnenberg, who was a pioneering public relations mogul and prominent art collector in New York City during the 20th Century. The creative pursuits from both sides of Cardinal’s family has motivated and inspired him to pursue an artistic path. Since 2011, Cardinal has exhibited at Scarlett Galleries in Burlington, was included in a group show at Essex Art Gallery in Essex, CT, and George Billis Gallery, where he made his New York City debut in 2015. His time at George Billis Gallery led to participation in the Art Hamptons in Bridgehampton, NY and Cityscapes: a Group Exhibition in 2017. That same year, he was part of both Emerging Artists and Members’ Juried at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. In addition to Kiley Court Gallery, Cardinal has exhibited with his father at Thos. Moser Boston Showroom in Boston, MA, West End Gallery in Provincetown, MA, Robert Cardinal Fine Art in Chatham, MA, and Sozo Gallery in Charlotte, NC.