Written by Michael Goldstein for THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE
Edited by Amos White V for THE ARTISTS FORUM, INC
Photos: Michael Goldstein
REVIEWER RATING:
4 out of 5 stars
CITYSCAPES: A SURVEY
NEW YORK, NY (October 9, 2015) Opening Reception, October 1, 2015 – The most recent exhibition at the Bernarducci Miesel Gallery suggests that the city is full of nothing but scenes. The exhibit, entitled Cityscapes: A Survey, the survey of paintings stemming from multiple artists tackles the notion that the city serves up inspiration for artists in a myriad of ways.
Robert Neffson’s single painting, Columbus, for example, freezes a familiar, colorful image into the canvas and draws us into the urban jungle — the Circle teeming with animation as folks go about their days. It’s a popular image playing double duty as a gateway for the rest of the gallery. Meanwhile, Reiner Berendsen’s painting, Fifth Avenue, puts the magnifying glass on another familiar image: the hotdog cart. Sharing the canvas with the New York Public Library, the portrait highlights the city as a yin-yang environment of knowledge and close interactions.
The best ones come from Joseph McNamara and Adam Normandin, who choose to plant and nurture the city’s industrial aspect in the portrait. McNamara’s latest painting, East Side Access Tunnel Under Construction, archives in great detail one of the greatest engineering feats of all time, the construction of a subway tunnel.
There are no people to share the canvas, just a view straight down the tunnel, emphasizing the future once construction is complete. Meanwhile, Normandin’s train painting, Closing In, with one train caught mid-chugging, captures the urban landscape’s speed toward the future. It is something pushing forward and unable to slow down.
In all cases, the gallery captures the city’s endless barrage of environments very well from top to bottom.
The exhibit runs October 1 – 31, 2015.
For more information about Robert Neffson , visit: robertneffson.com
For more information about Reiner Berendsen, visit: reinierberendsen.com
For more information about Joseph McNamara, visit: josephmcnamarastudio.com
For more information about Adam Normandin, visit: adamnormandin.com
For more information about Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, visit: bernarduccigallery.com
