52 Weeks II, An Installation by Roy Nicholson
This exhibition, on view through 12 December 2010, presents a refreshing view of landscape through the eyes of a master painter. Nicholson's Long Island garden is the subject, painted weekly for one year. Although the challenge of producing one painting a week for a year is inspiring without even looking at the work, this installation rewards careful viewing. These paintings represent Long Island light at its best. That time of evening, when the sun is nearly below the horizon, when colors are at their most intense in every direction, is called the gloaming. Nicholson captures the magic atmosphere of a quiet evening in a meditative way, and invites the viewer into a personal, almost sacred space where more is happening than meets the eye.
This exhibit was a perfect mixture between realism and abstraction art. I was present for the opening day where Nicholson gave a short presentation to reveal his inspiration for his 52 pieces. His work is amazing and inspirational to say the least. Every piece gave a clear depiction of what he was trying to illustrate to his viewers and just to had seen the picture displayed in his slideshow gave more background and vision to his paintings. His choice of color matched perfectly what mood he wanted to express and instead of painting an entire scenery over and over for 52 weeks he chose special pieces from his garden that seemed to express the beauty of that time period.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen Roy Nicholson’s exhibit at the Gallery yet; however, I have attended Déjà Vu, the exhibition that featured artwork Dowling College Alumni. The reception for this showing was held on October 3, 2010 between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Seeing the artwork of other Dowling students was inspiring. Personally, I have a great interest in photography and found the images of the rowing team at early dawn to be the most attractive. I also enjoyed the two paintings of the city – they told a story in and of themselves. The artist also explained how he is working on other paintings to add to the series – to tell a story through the sequence of paintings. I enjoy artwork like this that tells a story and has a meaning behind it.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of capturing images of nature on Long Island throughout the year was very intriguing. Long Island offers so many sights and perspectives of nature. Each season brings about different experiences and nuances. Nicholson's presentation was set up well and each painting complimented the next. The progression of seasons was evident in the presentation. My favorite painting was week 31, Brown Eyed Susan. The weeks leading up to it showed the changing of the seasons and week 31 represented the harsh reality that winter has arrived.
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