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The Four Seasons 2008

January 2, 2008- January 26, 2008

Reception: January 5, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Janice Anthony, Eliza Auth, Theresa Bartol, John Briggs, Carolyn Edlund, Judy Evans, Victor Leger, Gilbert Riou

Sherry French Gallery

601 W 26th St

Our busy lives propel us in a circular routine – from home, to work, to the store, to home. Yet, how often are we aware that all the while we are making much greater circles? The world carries us around itself and around the axis of the sun. Whether we are walking or standing still, we are in constant motion and, still more incredibly, propelled through our life cycle. Each moment brings us closer to the end and, simultaneously, to the beginning. Much of the time, we are unaware of this motion. The changing of the seasons is our reminder. Seasons mark the chapters of our lives – the first gray hairs – and those of the earth -- the first harsh freeze.

The Sherry French Gallery warmly invites you to celebrate the passage of time with our exhibit “The Four Seasons.” The artworks narrate nature’s never-ending cycle of destruction and rebirth. The representational and realist paintings and sculptures by such masters of landscape as Janice Anthony, Eliza Auth, Theresa Bartol, John Briggs, Carolyn Edlund, Judy Evans, William Gannotta, David Jermann, Victor Leger, Douglas Martenson, John Morrell, James Mullen, Gilbert Riou and Michael Schweigart, inspire respect and awe of nature. Take this opportunity to rediscover the wonders of the natural world and the parallels between the wild and the self.

This show is a reminder, no matter how streamline our cell phones get or how many iPods we have, of how closely tied we are to nature. Our moods are affected by shifts in weather. Natural events still rock our emotional core. The greatest evidence of this is how much these paintings affect us. We often look to landscape paintings for tranquility. However, the artworks in “The Four Seasons,” remind us that the natural world is just as tumultuous as we are. In them, we find peace partnered with chaos, and strength coupled with change. Examining nature’s grand cycles, we discover our place in them.

Victor Leger’s landscape in “The Four Seasons,” focuses on the cycle of the earth around the sun at its most stunning moment – sunset. He specializes in painting natural features that are constantly in motion such as water and clouds. His composition is devoid of people and highlights earth’s raw, primal qualities. “Ultimately, I am trying to make a political statement about these beautiful places and I want people to appreciate what is still out there before it is over-developed.”

Eliza Auth has an eye for nature’s hidden treasures. She paints dreamy, quiet spaces. She is not as interested in photo-realistic rendering as capturing the feeling of a place and making that accessible to the viewer. Her work records all of the seasons. She counts herself lucky to be living in a part of the country where she can experience each of them in turn. “As much as I enjoy winter light in the woods or on a deserted beach, the colors of spring – like a more tender version of autumn colors – thrill me. I love the transition from spring to the voluptuousness of high summer.”

If you feel as though you are transported up out of the city and tossed into a wilderness landscape from around the world, you are probably looking at a Judy Evans painting. Evans focuses her energy on capturing the “spirit of place.” Her realist paintings embody, not only the physical description of a site, but its felt presence. Evans’ work is about the moments when certain forces of nature synchronize and she is compelled “to stop time and preserve it and to share it and say, ‘I was here. This is how it felt.’ “

At first, it seems illogical to represent the earth’s changes with still images. Yet, one look at an Evans painting and our motives become clear. The images in “The Four Seasons,” though largely composed of paint on canvas, are far from static. Brush strokes pull at long grasses and, suddenly, a field is filled with wind. A neighboring forest is dark until, in the back corner, light spills through the canopy. Not only are the paintings full of motion but they stir the emotions of the viewer. Be prepared to let the breeze off an ocean painting rustle your hair and the tide coming in, pull and then rise up within you.



Books and DVDs related to artists in this show

Location map  Gallery Sherry French Gallery Address 601 W 26th St, 13th Fl New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States Phone 212-647-8867 Fax 212-647-8899 Hours Tue-Sat 12-6 Nearby: All 10 galleries at 601 W 26th St

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