“And suddenly we have a passion, an insatiable desire to create. And this is where it all begins,” so states Alexander Gassel in one of his short stories.

In “Painted Poetry,” Gassel’s retrospective at the Museum of Russian Icons, newly-appointed curator Dr. Lana Sloutsky has wisely chosen to include excerpts from the artist’s writings, which she translated from the Russian, as part of the wall text to expand on the visual narrative of his paintings.

His desire to create has resulted in works that reflect the heart of the artist — his family, his homeland, his newly adopted country and the many cultural, historical and political crosscurrents affecting his generation.

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