Gregory Allen Page is a Chicago–born artist who pioneered the artistic movement Chicago Impressionism, a genre influenced and inspired by the impressionist paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Painters in this genre study the Impressionist paintings housed in the Art Institute (as opposed to formal art school training) to create art with an Impressionistic influence. Page formed the school of Chicago Impressionism through thousands of hours of direct study of the art at the Chicago Art Institute and a comprehensive analysis of the sketch books of Renoir, Seurat, Sargent and Monet. A painter in his youth, Page studied anatomy and biology before going on to practice reconstructive surgery. He first created art from early childhood to age 18. His early work was custom jewelry. His brother Theodore J. Page, Jr., a graduate of New York University Film School, suggested he obtain an education to widen his artistic horizons. This led to an extensive study of human anatomy and the details of biological form and function, aspects of which are infused into his work today. After an enlightening spell in Italy altered his perspective on the art of living, Page set aside his career in medicine to fully devote himself to painting.
Page's work has been described by critics as Van Gogh-esque, but with a pulse. The rich brushwork and color found in his paintings meld well with his subject matter; spirituality, love, and the experience of beauty in everyday life. Page’s works are raw and personal, with an expressive impasto application of paint. His worked is guided by the idea that "oil painting is not photography and that the soul of the painter is freely expressed in the freedom of his hand and the brush."
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