Michael Bartosz is a photographer currently located in Zionsville, Indiana. This Chicago native studied Photography and Printmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) from 1976 to 1980. Michael has spent many years in advertising both in Chicago and in Central Indiana. Michael has currently rekindled his creative look at the architecture and feel of industrial buildings in both small town and big cities in the Midwest.
Artist Style: Visual: Conceptual, Contemporary, Documentary, Environmental, Focus on Color/Light/Movement, Formalism, Land/Cityscape, Minimalism, Photo Realistic, Portraiture, Realism
Artist Medium: Visual Arts: Photography; Color Giclee Prints
Inspiration for Michael’s photographs come from his urban up-bringing in Chicago. Growing up in the industrial neighborhoods, surrounded by the shadows of the steel mills, Michael became comfortable with the most often gritty and unkempt houses and buildings of his South Side neighborhood. His love of architecture grew from the concentration and architectural styles imagined and constructed thought Chicago’s history. Living with both the architecture of the known architects and the buildings of the inner city neighborhoods, Michael’s love of the textures, styles, and shapes they brought to the cityscape, developed.
Studying these buildings, he sees the wear of their age, but still standing because of the changes and rejuvenation over time and necessity for the neighborhood. Buildings that had a single purpose when built, changed, keeping with their newfound functionality. Often times a portrait of ingenuity out of necessity.
With his documentary photographic style, his imagery often becomes fitting portraits of who/what they were and have become. His imagery is often straight forward and simple with an eye on blend of the architectures shapes, texture, colors, and personality.
This South Side of Chicago native studied Photography and Printmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) from 1976 to 1980. Photographers Harold Allen, Fred Endsley, Frank Barsotti and printmakers Karen Savage and Doug Huston were inspirational teachers in visualization and execution of imagery while at SAIC. Michael’s documentary style and keen eye for detail remains with him and his imagery today.
After leaving SAIC, Michael has spent many years in advertising both in Chicago and recently in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has currently rekindled his creative look at the architecture and feel of industrial and urban buildings in both small towns and big cities in the Midwest.
Michael is currently located in a small town in Central Indiana. He studies/works independently and looks for support from local Artistic Institutions in central Indiana.
You can find information on Michael’s Teachers at these links from the Art Institute on Chicago:
https://www.artic.edu/artists/528/harold-allen
https://www.artic.edu/artists/7741/fred-endsley
https://www.artic.edu/artists/1668/frank-barsotti
July 1st to 20th
Camera Work: Landscape and Architecture – Group Show, exhibited in Gallery and On-Line
Black Box Gallery
811 E Burnside St #212, Portland, OR
You can always find Michael at his new website… https://mabartoszfineartphotography.com or on Instagram… mabartosz58
Archival Giclee Prints available. Please contact the artist for details at his website,
https://mabartoszfineartphotography.com
or at mabartosz55@gmail.com.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) from 1976 to 1980.
Recent shows;
2023
Camera Work: Landscape and Architecture – Group Show, exhibited in Gallery and On-Line
Black Box Gallery
811 E Burnside St #212, Portland, OR
2018
Landscape and Architecture – Group Show, exhibited in the On-Line Annex gallery
Black Box Gallery
811 E Burnside St #212, Portland, OR
2019
Color Burst: A Picture Show – Group Show, exhibited in the Gallery
Black Box Gallery
811 E Burnside St #212, Portland, OR
2019
In ModernLove: Contest, Honorable Mention
Indiana Landmarks-Indiana Modern
Instagram, Online contest in the fall of 2019
