It has been said that modern art will never reach the lofty pinnacles of beauty and style found in the works of the classical artist of antiquity. It has been lamented that modern artists have lost the ability to match the exquisite brushstrokes of the old masters, and that modern sculptors will never be able to equal the balance and flow of the works of Michelangelo and his contemporaries. While it is a simple fact that the artworks of antiquity are timeless and unsurpassable in their content and beauty modern painters are still able to capture nature’s fury and man’s folly with the strokes of brush and pigment, and modern sculptors such as Russell Solomon can imbue twisted wire with the type of grace and beauty found in the gossamer wings of a dragonfly.

Many modern artists defy conventional standards of artwork. Many modern artists have eschewed the use of marble and clay and instead work with found materials such as scrap iron and cast off building materials, creating masterpieces of form and structure from the mundane materials of everyday life. It is in some way poetic that the refuse of modern life is oftentimes supplying the materials for things of beauty. Modern painters are able to capture the glory of a sunset or the awe inspiring power of a stormy sea with just as much clarity and focus as the old masters, and yet may choose instead to pursue abstract paintings in which the angst and turmoil of modern life can be immortalized in swirling color and bold strokes.

While there are those who state that modern artists will never attain the status of the old masters, it should be remembered that many of the old masters were considered less than capable artists and never achieved success until after their deaths. Those who naysay modern art should remember the day may come when name like Russell Solomon will achieve the same status as DaVinci or Michelangelo.