Dynamics of Desire

Dynamics of Desire: The Evocative Works of Jim Costello presents more than 20 paintings and drawings by Jim Costello, an American modernist painter from Shenandoah County whose work spans nearly 50 years. Little known to those outside of his community, this prolific artist has quietly produced a large body of visionary depictions of the places and events near his home.  Dynamics of Desire explores his figural works, where human form and landscape flow together representing a mystical relationship between people, structures, and the natural world.

Jim Costello studied art at Ecole St. Luc in Brussels and attended The University of Notre Dame earning a BA in 1964 and an MFA in 1967. Inspired by the back-to-the-land movement, he moved to the Shenandoah Valley with his family in 1970 where he started a business building pole barns and fences, using his leisure time to paint and sketch.

On view at the MSV through July 30, 2017, Dynamics of Desire is the second in a new series of solo exhibitions presented in the MSV Shenandoah Valley Gallery featuring the work of living contemporary artists.

Gallery: Painting Mountains to the West [detail], 1988; Moon Mountain [detail], 1983.