NEW YORK, NY.- Bernarducci Gallery is presenting New York Cityscapes, a solo exhibition by Nathan Walsh. Walsh is best known for his large-scale paintings, often of major cities, which at first seem hyperrealistic, but which upon closer examination involve a careful manipulation of time and place. After taking several trips to New York, Walsh became inspired to take the city where much of his artistic career blossomed as his muse. The exhibition is a celebration of the urban landscape, and the works included in New York Cityscapes feature many of the cities iconic landmarks and busiest intersections – from Times Square to Dumbo in Brooklyn, to 59th Street on the Upper East Side.
The works draw on European and American art historical painting traditions, including Pointillism, Post Impressionism, and Realism, exploring a myriad the possibilities for the medium of painting. The works themselves are ‘surface-oriented,’ and a close look at the painting reveals deeply textured works that create a rich visual experience for the viewer.
Walsh typically spends a sustained period of time, often days photographing a particular space or intersection before creating postcard-sized sketches that bring together different aspects of the location that he is working to portray. While often viewed as a realist painter, Walsh approaches his paintings with a more open perspective, creating works that are composites of visual information rather than a pure documentation. The works bring together different aspects of a single space borrowed from different photographs, capturing the memory and feeling of a place and creating a more universal experience for viewers.
Fascinated by both the architecture and the culture of his locations, Walsh creates paintings that explore the interplay between these two ideas. Among the works on view will be “Catching Fire,” a large-scale depiction of Times Square that was made over the course of several years. The work captures the passage of time, through a painting that depicts a place that is once familiar and invented. To create the painting Walsh photographed Times Square over the course of several years, ultimately compiling his favorite perspectives from roughly 300 photographs to create a coherent representation of the space. The work depicts signage that is imagined, though captures the visual language of Times Square.
Nathan Walsh lives and works in Wales, Great Britain. He earned his Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Hull where artist Clive Head was his mentor and teacher. Walsh’s paintings have been exhibited in notable solo and group exhibitions worldwide.
Bernarducci Gallery is also presenting Mario A. Robinson’s recent watercolor portraits and streetscapes. Robinson’s work has been described as traditional, but his use of the brush defies convention. His work combines traditional methods, but in a thoroughly modern way. This is seen through his use of a monochromatic underpainting washed over with vibrant hues.
Robinson was born in Altus, Oklahoma. Discovered by his fifth grade teacher, he became inspired to further pursue art. At age 12, Robinson moved with his family to New Jersey, later to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Robinson’s work has been strongly influenced by artistic icons, specifically known for their expertise and groundbreaking approach to brushwork and awareness of light. These artists include Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper, and John Singer Sargent. His work is primarily autobiographical, as he depicts the people and settings pertinent to his life from truthful paintings of the rural south, to ethereal landscapes of his oceanic home. Robinson evokes a multiplicity of emotions amongst the audience. Instead of creating an idealistic characterization of the world, his paintings reflect the inspiration he finds his surroundings. The paintings in his current exhibit possess atmospheric qualities, seen through his manipulation of light, specifically regarding his portraits. The viewer is confronted with a blunt, yet solemn sense of reality. In addition to his career as an artist, Robinson also teaches. He is the author of the bestselling, Lessons in Realistic Watercolor.
