August 2011
HAYNES GALLERIES PRESENTS
“THE ART OF THE STILL LIFE”
THOMASTON, Maine — Haynes Galleries is pleased to present “The Art of the Still Life,” a wide-ranging exhibit featuring the work of 20 contemporary artists. There will be an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, and the show will be on view through Sept. 29 at Haynes Galleries, 91 Main St., Thomaston.
What could possibly be exciting about a bowl of eggs? A bouquet? A lemon peel? In the hands of these contemporary masters, quite a bit. While the genre is as old as paint itself, this exhibit of watercolors and oils puts the “life” in still life.
Take, for example, Michael Theise’s beguiling trompe l’oeil paintings. He approaches the genre with tongue firmly in cheek, giving the still-life treatment to objects that are anything but precious — an Etch-a-Sketch, a vintage board game, a rusty horseshoe. There are plenty of visual gags, plenty of inside jokes. Art history buffs will appreciate his nods to Rembrandt Peale’s “Rosalba Peale” and Rene Magritte’s “The Treachery of Images.” They’ll also appreciate the way he honors the ages old tradition of still life by creating his own allegory.
If there was any question that flowers could be sexy, Deborah Bigeleisen’s showstopper, “Snow White,” puts it to rest. Her macro view of a rose’s inner petals is lush and sensuous, layer upon layer of creamy pink.
Some paintings, such as Roger Dale Brown's “Sweet Potato Jug,” are loose and textural — a celebration of color and light. Others, such as Richard Murdock’s exquisite clutch of lilacs, are tightly rendered. Flawless. Breathtaking. It’s no wonder Murdock’s work is in the private collection of “The DaVinci Code” author Dan Brown.
In Nancy Depew’s “Revelation,” an iris curves like a swan’s neck, graceful and lithe, petals in shadow, roots bare, delicate, exposed. The light is dramatic, the subject demure. The interplay of shadow and light evokes the Old Masters, but the feel is completely fresh.
Though Yin Yong Chun’s canvases are full of riches — overflowing bowls of fruit, cut crystal vases, lavishly patterned china — they’re anything but excessive. While his work incorporates the best elements of classic Asian and European art, the style is uniquely his own — elegant, restrained, distinctive.
Among the exhibition’s highlights is a selection of watercolors by Karen Horn. She lives and paints in Northern California, where her garden is an endless inspiration for her watercolors. She paints slowly, meticulously, with a surgeon’s precision, and as a result, her flower paintings are rare. On average, she completes only six to eight paintings a year.
“The Art of Still Life” showcases some of the finest American Realist painters working today. These works are not only a testament to the craft, they’re an invitation to look beyond the surface. To see things more deeply. To feel the power of a flower’s petal, a bowl of persimmons, a broken vase. And ultimately, to find meaning in the simplest and most beautiful of objects.