Tom Levine “New Paintings”
Washburn Gallery
This event has ended.
His first significant gallery show in New York since 2010 and his fifth with the Washburn Gallery, it will include 10 paintings, eight small constructions, and six large drawings.
The show represents a major turning point in Levine’s career. Long known for his expressive, muted and geometric abstractions, these new works mark the first time Levine has painted from the human figure. For these new paintings, friends have modeled in front of the canvas and a bright light to have their silhouettes traces and retraced. The result is a sense of movement and dynamism that is not often present in figurative painting.
While these new paintings are a departure for Levine, they are, in many ways, an extension of themes and interests that have been present in his work for years. “My last exhibit at Washburn included works constructed with wire or string laced across the front of the paintings and attached to a perimeter frame which projected a few inches from the edge of the painting. The wire made wonderful linear shadows on the flat painted surface that would change constantly, depending on the light source,” said Levine when describing his interest in figurative painting. “These new pieces are a continuation of this curiosity about light, shadows and reflections. I trace the silhouettes of my models with charcoal or graphite on the linen. Each time the model changes position, a new silhouette on the same painting is traced. This is repeated many times. Then I continue alone, using the drawn lines as a basis for adding oil pigment.”
[Image: Tom Levine “Travis II” (2012) oil on linen 50 1/2 x 64 in.]
Media
Schedule
from March 27, 2014 to May 10, 2014
Opening Reception on 2014-03-27 from 18:00 to 20:00