"Water" Exhibition

The Painting Center

poster for "Water" Exhibition

This event has ended.

The Painting Center hosts Water, an invitational exhibition of over 20 watercolors by 11 contemporary artists. The show explores a particularly intriguing aspect of the watercolor medium: its proficiency for depicting the characteristics of water itself
– its transparency, depth, and liquidity. This show is the latest in a series presented by Watercurrents, an association of artists founded in 2003 that has organized several watercolor exhibitions at such New York galleries as Kouros Gallery and Lori Bookstein Fine Art. As a physical medium, watercolor is merely the staining of paper with diluted pigments. This simplicity, however, belies not only its difficulty but also its expressive intensity. Indeed, its unique luminosity and immediacy is evident in images as diverse as Turner’s stormy seas and Sargent’s limpid Venetian canals. It is no coincidence that such watercolors – some of the most compelling examples of the medium’s traditional possibilities – depict the
conditions of water itself. This challenge is revisited by the 11 artists of Water:Louis Kahn, Arthur Kvarnstrom, Elizabeth O’Reilly,
Susan Shatter, Kamilla Talbot, and Neil Welliver. Their subjects range from oceans and rivers to bathtubs and glasses of water. Their techniques vary from the meticulous to the expressionistic, and the scale of their images from the intimate to the panoramic. They
all share one intention, however: the conjuring of the semblance of water, in the colored washes of its own substance.
In keeping with the water theme in the main gallery, the adjoining Project Room houses Early Lessons by Richard Chiriani. The painting depicts a family gathering food in an imaginary, primeval landscape. The source of sustenance and, metaphorically, knowledge
ultimately come from the ocean, beside which they forage. This eternal and sustainable landscape is about to be disrupted by an ominous force observed by the female who looks into the sky. Early Lessons is accompanied by preparatory drawings and small painting studies for the final piece.

Media

Schedule

from March 03, 2009 to March 28, 2009

Opening Reception on 2009-03-05 from 18:00 to 20:00

  • Facebook

    Reviews

    All content on this site is © their respective owner(s).
    New York Art Beat (2008) - About - Contact - Privacy - Terms of Use