Gene Wisniewski

Teaches at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

He has developed from a belief in a strong foundation. He made a point of training at schools with an academic bent, including the New York Academy of Art and the National Academy of Design, in order to achieve a certain level of technical expertise at portraying reality. He knew that only then he could permit himself the freedom to take what he wanted from this framework and put aside what was extraneous to presenting his own reality. Since then, he have accumulated numerous influences; among them are Surrealism, Odilon Redon, underground comic book culture, Hieronymus Bosch, illustrators such as Edward Gorey, and so called “thrift store” art. Consequently, he cultivated a body of work that added his own personal statement to a combination and continuation of these influences. A partial list of contemporary artists with whom he feel an affinity are Trevor Winkfield, Marcel Dzama, Jan Svankmajer, comic artist Kaz (“Underworld”), Ncola Tyson, Jim Nutt, and Lars Norgård.

(42 Reviews)

50+ Drawing and Painting: All Levels

Anonymous review on 3/22/2020

Lots of individual attention from Gene who allows you to decide what you'd like to work on and helps you take it to a new level. He is precise, knowledgeable and encouraging! Best drawing teacher I've ever had!
What to Look For When You Look at Art

Anonymous review on 12/5/2019

I enjoyed the class but it was essentially the same presentation from the Six Hour Art Major. If I knew it was essentially the same material, I likely would not have taken it. It was a good class - but I would not recommend taking it in addition to the Six Hour Art Major course.
What to Look For When You Look at Art

Reviewed by Steven R. on 12/5/2019
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Lisa S. on 11/15/2019

It was a terrific class and I really enjoyed the presentation and was impressed by the instructor's knowledge. I would be very interested in taking more art history classes but I see there are not many offered on this platform. Looking forward to reviewing the other offerings.
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Steven R. on 11/14/2019
50+ Drawing and Painting: All Levels

Anonymous review on 6/2/2019

The class is exceptional in the amount of individual attention the teacher gives. You decide what you want to focus on and Gene will give you guidance and very practical help on your individual project. I saw a noticeable leap in my drawing due to his expertise. Others worked on collage, acrylic painting, portraits, and comics. The atmosphere is warm and supportive. I highly recommend this class for all levels! Laura M.
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Lee N. on 2/28/2019

Well taught. Interesting and fun.
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Susan S. on 2/28/2019

Filled with wonderful content! Thank you!
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Xiaoyu Z. on 2/26/2018
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Sana l. on 2/17/2018

Still interesting but basic
Before and After the Renaissance

Anonymous review on 11/20/2017
Before and After the Renaissance

Reviewed by Gerson L. on 11/19/2017
Before and After the Renaissance

Anonymous review on 11/17/2017

great teacher.
Before and After the Renaissance

Anonymous review on 11/16/2017

Awesome teacher !
50+Drawing & Painting Class: All Levels (Duplicate)

Reviewed by Pamela G. on 12/23/2016
Before and After the Renaissance

Reviewed by Danit Z. on 11/4/2016
The Six-Hour Art Major

Anonymous review on 5/27/2016

Teacher was great. The location in front of the elevators was probably a poor choice- as people tend to congregate and talk there so a bit distracting. More to teacher than students.
The Six-Hour Art Major

Anonymous review on 4/17/2016

I enjoyed the class and appreciated the lecturer's enthusiasm. 2 areas for improvement: 1. space - we were in a room that was not soundproof and there was frequently competing noise 2. there were no female artists included in art history until the last slide of the class (Dada period). A quick Google search could have rounded this out.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 2/26/2016

teacher is humour and knowledgable.
Art History Series: Intro to Indian and Chinese Art

Anonymous review on 2/26/2016

amazing
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 2/21/2016

Gene is very knowledgeable about the subject. I thought his class was entertaining and have learned quite a bit from his classes. He gives out little syllabi which allowed me to pay more attention to what he is saying instead of trying to write down all the information! I found his class very enjoyable and look forward to taking more.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 2/19/2016
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 2/19/2016

Loved it. Well done.
What to Look For When You Look at Art

Reviewed by Mike S. on 2/15/2016

Informative, interesting with a touch of humor... would recommend
50+ Drawing and Painting: All Levels

Reviewed by Natalie b C. on 12/26/2015

Warm supportive teacher and class.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 12/14/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Lee J. on 12/10/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Anonymous review on 12/9/2015

The Professor was articulate and had a sense of humor.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Ali C. on 12/8/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Mahrokh M. on 12/5/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by nicole j. on 12/4/2015

Gene the instructor was fantastic!
The Six-Hour Art Major

Anonymous review on 11/10/2015
The Six-Hour Art Major

Anonymous review on 7/18/2015

Gene was lovely and very well spoken and the content of the course was super interesting. I would definitely study with Gene again!
What to Look For When You Look at Art

Reviewed by Carlos N. on 6/12/2015
The Six-Hour Art Major

Reviewed by Cheryl A. on 4/27/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Jesse S. on 3/22/2015

teacher was great, really knew his stuff, very engaging and open to questions. great class.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by steph h. on 2/28/2015
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Venus C. on 11/15/2014

Although it was a pretty nice coverage of long 2 hour session on art history it was quite interesting and entertaining. You would really enjoy this if you are a history buff as me!
Art History Series: Intro to Indian and Chinese Art

Reviewed by Bridget O' Bernstein on 8/11/2014

I apologize in advance for the following review, but I feel I really need to be honest, especially considering that this person may go on to teach other classes. This class was absolutely NOT an art history class. This teacher is not a teacher of art history. It was a very very basic summary of history, with references that were vague and sometimes incorrect, which sounded primarily like they had been pulled from an online website. When he spoke about art it was barely relevant and there was nothing relating to the styles or qualities of art in China/India that would qualify this as an art history class. I have nothing but respect for teachers, as it is not an easy job. But somehow, this teacher has managed not to be observed or reviewed at any point because then this class would not have been offered. He was wildly uninformed, read almost directly from his notes, and the notes themselves were like bullet lists. There were no overarching themes, no summaries, no overall understanding of the cultures. The teacher could not answer any of the student's questions because I think the students were gravely misinformed regarding what the class was going to be. I majored in art history and I just needed to write a review for this class because it was extremely extremely disappointing and mis directed. Art history involves the studying of art (of a certain time/period) and then an outward examination beginning with the styles/aesthetics/artists of the period, and moving to the historical, cultural, and social causes, which might explain such artistic characteristics/choices. There was no discussion of the qualities of the art, no discussion of even something as basic as the characteristics of one type of period versus another. When I asked Gene what were the characteristics of the Gupta period of art (which he had just told us was the "most famous," he told me that he "didn't think there were any characteristics, which made the Gupta period recognizable or different because mostly all Indian art looked the same" to him. Please reconsider offering this class/teacher. And understand that I do not mean any of this offensively, but as someone who works in an Asian art gallery, and majored in art history at university, I hate to think someone is out there teaching a class labeled 'art history' when it is not even close to that. Regards, Bridget
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Db on 7/26/2014
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Nothmar Noriel on 7/25/2014

Great overview of art hostory. The teacher was very knowledgeable.
Art History Series: 90,000 Years of Art

Reviewed by Misty Skolnick on 4/15/2013

I really enjoyed this class as an intro to art! The teacher was fun and knowledgeable. The class moved at a very quick pace, however, and I would have gladly stayed a bit longer to learn more! The class covered a huge time span and touched on the highlights throughout history.