NYAB Event - Michael Sorgatz "Streetwise"

Michael Sorgatz "Streetwise"

Figureworks

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Michael's paintings are immediately captivating by their vibrancy and playful abstraction. They keep one's interest by discovering that they hold a whole world within them which is familiar to those living or walking throughout the New York City landscape. Clusters of human forms begin to surface amidst a lively and chaotic ground. The atmosphere of the city is apparent and the pace of these darkened figures breaking up the horizon feels familiar and expected, as if the need to move from their oncoming direction is inevitable. Though these paintings capture an everyday New York moment, the energy and movement in the work transcends far beyond a single moment.

Michael says of his work, "My paintings of figures in urban landscapes depict the constant evolution of the city, exploring the boundary between abstraction and realism. Working from digitally manipulated photographs, I systematically break down the image by overlaying a geometric pattern and reducing the image to a series of simple shapes. Using an improvisational method, I apply the paint with a variety of tools such as brushes and painting knives. This technique creates a highly textured surface as layers of paint are applied to build the picture, obscuring identities and context. The resulting images portray a dynamic state of turbulence where shapes collide, merge, and separate to create new forms."