Joseph Peller’s artwork captures the haunting isolation of individuals caught in the overlooked rituals of modern urban life. Using New York City as his backdrop, he explores the detachment and uncertainty of the urban experience.

In addition to engagement with themes of ambiguity and separation, Peller addresses the philosophical issue of time. Several of his most distinguished paintings combine distinctly modern images of women in urban environments with seemingly anachronistic titles borrowed from Greek mythology including “Arachne,” “Cassandra” and “Leda.” As a further complication to this tangle of eras, Peller favors Impressionist brushwork, a style that has inspired comparisons to 19th century masters Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet.

Peller began his artistic education under the tutelage of Canadian artist A.K. Scott, a student of the noted American painters Charles W. Hawthorne and George Bellows. He later studied formally at the School of Architecture of the University of Toronto, and eventually in New York at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design.

Peller is the recipient of several awards and honors including the Dr. David Soloway Memorial Award, the Len G. Everett Memorial award, National Sculpture Society Award for Figurative Sculpture and the Revson Foundation Grant.