December 2012
Haynes Galleries presents “Small Things”,
December 7, 2012 to January 8, 2013
Reception: Friday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. December 7, 2012
NASHVILLE — Haynes Galleries is pleased to present “Small Things,” a selection of smaller works by renowned American Realists. This selection of small works — more than 160 paintings by 51 artists — proves that good things really do come in small packages. Presented salon style, “Small Things” is a feast for the eyes — a jewel box overflowing with gems from renowned artists such as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell, and Andrew Wyeth, as well as contemporary masters Jesús E. Villarreal, Grace DeVito, Vincent Giarrano and Anthony Ryder to mention just a few.
Among the highlights are Homer’s rich charcoal sketch Shepherdess and Wyeth’s The Granary and Mill, a watercolor awash in winter whites. Small works by big names in contemporary art also have a prominent place in the show. Burt Silverman’s White Scarf exemplifies his mastery of portraiture — in ordinary faces, Silverman reveals the extraordinary. Jesús E. Villarreal, a rising star of American Realism, is at his best with Portrait of a Girl in White, a transcendently powerful painting. A less conventional portrait, Bo Bartlett’s Indian Blood is rich, luminous, almost incandescent.
Gary Akers’ Island Cat is pure Maine — a marmalade tabby pauses for a drink against a backdrop of whitewashed clapboards and a weathered wood door. Fool’s Gold, a clever trompe l’oeil by Michael Theise, is a tiny delight. So too is Yin Yong Chun's A Bowl of Persimmon. It has all of the elements of a classic still life — a bowl overflows with lush, ripe fruit; in the background, richly patterned wallpaper — but the style is uniquely his own — elegant, restrained, distinctive.
It’s a cache of riches — a wealth of photographs, oil paintings, watercolors, temperas, pastels, and works in pencil — but it’s never overwhelming. Instead, gallery owner Gary R. Haynes has thoughtfully curated the show, highlighting only the best of the best. The result is a celebration. A revelation. An invitation — to immerse yourself in this small world.