Green-Wood Artist, Inspired By Other Green-Wood Artists

Since its founding, Green-Wood Cemetery has inspired artists with the magnificence of its grounds. The gravestones, sculptures, vistas, trees, blooms, and gardens have all moved artists to do what they do best: create their art.

David Listokin is an artist within this tradition. David, a trained artist, attended the performance of “Angels and Accordions” last October and was greatly inspired by the dancers and musicians. As a result, he has created his own art at Green-Wood.

Here’s how David describes himself:

David Listokin was born in Manhattan to a father and mother who were and are wonderful musicians. His dad was First Clarinet at NBC Symphony of the Air.

David is a neighborhood guy, because his dear friends from Brooklyn have sponsored him to live here off and on for 25 years. David is a visual arts graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He also has a fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

David is a certified art teacher in New York State, and does murals in the neighborhood using community members as participants. He enjoys teaching art at the Park Slope Geriatric Day Center and would like to combine the elderly and school age students in art classes.

Listokin was standing near Green-Wood Cemetery’s Historic Chapel near the beautiful lily pond one beautiful day last year when he beheld  the most beautiful musical and visually pleasing apparition ever in his 47 years: dancers seemed to float up into the heavens of the late summer sky. The tones and sounds and melody emanated from one of the loveliest instruments our planet has been given-the music from the accordions wafted, caresses, moving Listokin to such heights of emotion that he found himself working on a series of pen and ink drawings on Bristol board right there on the spot. Listokin had been sketching the beauty of the cemetery already, and continued after this day, as well, but his memory of the beauty from another higher lighter more beautiful world will live in his heart forever! Here are some of his pieces, some of them done that very day in the beauty of the soul!

Now, let’s let David’s remarkable drawings of Green-Wood speak for themselves. Click on each image to see it larger.

If you would like to contact David, you may do so at listokindavid@rocketmail.com