Michael Goro

Michael Goro, “Guangzhou”, Watercolor on Paper

An artist primarily in paintings and etchings, Michael “Misha” Goro was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. where he received his BA in architecture. In 1990, he immigrated to Jerusalem, Israel, where he discovered intaglio printmaking and began to use it as his main medium. In 1993, he moved to the United States and completed his education, receiving MFA in printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In his current capacity as a chairperson of the graphics department at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Goro has been instrumental in developing the program and teaching in it for the past nine years.

Michael Goro

Michael Goro, “La Belle Fenetre”, Etching / Engraving, Date Unknown

“Looking for subject matter I find simple things that we see every day, things that become symbolic once they are taken out of context. I experiment with the juxtaposition of places, faces, and architectural designs that reflect my diverse personal experiences. My story is a vivid illustration of the end of the last century – a time of deconstruction, discontinuity, and dislocation. I find that black-and-white prints convey contradictory images better than any other medium by reducing them to the most basic color contrast. My work provides the full spectrum of techniques ranging from renaissance engraving to digital photogravure.” – Michael Goro