Marc Armitano Domingo sits below his painting “Salamandra” (2023) Oil on canvas 36″ x 24″ while … [+] playing a baroque salterio at Salon 21
Colin Savercool
A salamandra (a genus of seven species of salamanders localized in central and southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia) engulfed in flames undulates, seemingly unperturbed, and turns its gaze to the serene landscape to its left. With a simpler nervous system than mammals, the four-legged creatures change their walking patterns to conform with the speed at which they are moving.
New York-based multidisciplinary artist Marc Armitano Domingo depicts a contemporary rendition of a subject and imagery that dates back to at least the first century AD when polymath Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as Pliny the Elder, threw a salamander into a fire in hopes it would survive the flames.
By simplifying the title of the three-foot-by-two-foot oil on canvas to Salamandra (2023), Armitano Domingo invites us to draw in our own interpretations within and beyond history of art and alchemy.
The amphibian of the order Urodela has, for centuries, been ascribed fantastical and occult characteristics by pre-modern authors, such as: Roasting the Salamander in the fire, a 1749 illustration from De lapide philosophico, Frankfurt and Leipzig; As the Salamander lives in fire, so also the Stone, Emblem XXIX from Atalanta fugiens, a 1617 engraving by Michael Maier of the German School; and a 1504 bronze coin, Salamander in Flames, by a follower of Giovanni Candida at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the myth of the fire-proof salamander blazed, with some believing it was born in fire, like the Phoenix.
As the Salamander lives in fire, so also the Stone, Emblem XXIX from Atalanta fugiens by Michael … [+] Maier, 1617 (Da der Salamander im Feuer lebt, so auch der Stein, Emblem XXIX von Atalanta fugiens von Michael Maier, 1617)
Lucas Jennis and Johann Theodor de Bry
Like Pliny, an Early Roman naturalist, natural philosopher, who wrote the encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History), which became an editorial model for encyclopedias, Armitano Domingo embraces myriad disciplines, creating and performing fluidly across painting, porcelain, and his primary artistic medium, Baroque music.
Last night’s dinner party at Salon 21 in New York’s SoHo featured a three-course Haitian meal (lobster bisque with plantain crumble and cashew cream and adorned with edible flowers, roast chicken with mashed yuca and a jus from black mushrooms foraged in northern Haiti, and Haitian coffee creme brulee) by Chef Deborah.L Jean . Armitano Domingo performed two songs on his salterio, celebrating his Argentine heritage and his foundation in the Baroque. He embellished the ancient instrument and plucked it with silver finger picks he made himself as his other artistry doesn’t permit long nails.
Armitano Domingo’s first solo exhibition, El Engaño (The Deception), showcases the breadth of his artistic oeuvre, including singular ceramics decorated with insects, hand-embroidered shirts, antique jewelry, and oil paintings on copper, wood, and canvas.
Ceramic plate by Marc Armitano Domingo
Colin Savercool
“It’s an homage to Baroque craftsmanship, really no longer seen in terms of mass production and what we see today, so just please admire every little detail that’s on every ceramic that’s in every painting,” Salon 21 founder Alex Bass implored, encouraging us to linger after dinner. “Mark is extremely prolific and talented, literally a Renaissance man. … I’m beyond honored to have such talent in my space, and as a friend as well.”
Bass – who seeks to resurrect the unrivaled glory of Gertrude Stein’s Paris apartment at 27 rue de Fleurus in the 6th arrondissement of Paris on the Left Bank, where the American writer and her partner Alice B. Toklas lived from 1903 to 1938 – asks her guests to complete questionnaires ahead of dinners to amplify the potential for thoughtful interaction. Also home to Stein’s brother Leo for a time, the Saturday evening salon at the legendary apartment brought together artists and writers, such as Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway. Last night’s soiree brought together a diverse group, including boyfriend, photographer Ryan McGinley .
L-R: photographer Ryan McGinley, multidisciplinary artist Marc Armitano Domingo, Salon 21 founder … [+] Alex Bass
Colin Savercool
Bass painstakingly oversaw every detail in transforming the space on Greene Street from a white box into a warm, chic refuge. Iron twisted candlesticks on the dinner table were sourced from craftspeople on a recent visit to Mexico City, launching her first product collaboration for a “modern heirloom.’” The vintage sustainable linen napkins each are embroidered with a French adjective. Mine was “pragmatique,” which I found amusing as I suppose I sometimes dwell in the realm of results and consequences. The walls are painted with deliberate strokes in myriad shades to evoke a vintage feel, and a decorative wooden fireplace facade was custom carved to house candles.
As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for meaningful social interaction became more vital than ever, and Bass shuns the commerciality of SoHo, striving to foster a genuine environment for creative and artistic interaction. Bass, who studied at Columbia University and the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and worked at major auction houses and blue chip galleries in New York, is on a mission to give art lovers what they truly need: a space to express and explore their passions.
“The power of art is something that I want to bring to anyone willing to step out of their usual social social pattern. It will make you feel comfortable by giving you a bit of a friendly push to meet new people, which it did,” said Bass. “So whether you just moved here or have lived in New York for decades, we know it can be an isolating place. So hopefully our socials can be that space where you come to form connections over a shared love of arts and culture.”
Salon 21 featuring a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Marc Armitano Domingo
Colin Savercool
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