It is human nature to put put people in a box. E. Gibbons takes that idea literally. The New Jersey artist, who gleans inspiration from classical subject matter, has created more than 120 black & white oil paintings of male and female figures for his BOX SERIES. phd gallery will host a solo exhibition of Gibbons' work and will hang over 40 of his near lifesize canvases.

Inspired by themes and images from classical painters like Michelangelo, Ingres, and Classicist, Jacques-Louis David, Gibbons' boxes are his environments, his still lifes and his visual voice. Some figures confront while others recede, some welcome your gaze and others outright reject you. The limited color, subject and space create a powerfully focused and iconic image that expresses the artist's prejudices, apprehensions, aspirations and ideals.

Dr. John P. Burke, Professor of Sociology at Harris Stowe State University in St. Louis contends that the artist, "uses the boxes to define his reality. They focus our attention on his images, his values, his worldview. Each iconic representation within the lines of the box expresses how he views the connection of people and things meaningfully." (Read Professor Burke's essay on the phd website.)