Northern Light. The show features abstract paintings and works on paper. Rich in opaque, translucent and transparent hues, the paintings change with light throughout the day and over the seasons.
Stephan Stoyanov Gallery is pleased to announce Northern Light, the first solo exhibition by Greg Goldberg.
The show features abstract paintings and works on paper, all done in natural light at Goldberg's North facing studio in New York. Each work is a hand-made object, built slowly over time by layering dozens of pigments to create unique color relationships. Rich in opaque, translucent and transparent hues, the paintings change with light throughout the day and over the seasons.
Goldberg's ongoing dialog with art history is tied into his contemporary art practice.
The usage of color as a vehicle for expression was inspired by an early interest in Florentine Mannerist Jacopo Pontormo; the emphasis on light comes out of Venetian masters. The process of making each piece - from using rabbit-skin glue, a traditional lead ground and slow build-up of color - is connected to the Old Masters, while the investigation of the painting as subject matter ties the work to postwar American abstraction.
While the works are evocative, they don't refer to anything other than the history of their own making. Up close, they reveal a complex structure as new color transitions and brushwork passages continue to come into focus. Tension is built by using pigments that reflect and absorb light and brushwork that feels suppressed in some areas and exuberant in others.
The project as a whole is about creating rich visual sensations through ever more refined and unexpected color combinations. As the viewer is drawn into the exploration of the paintings' layered archeology, time seems to have slowed down.
Born in 1973, Goldberg is a native New Yorker. He graduated from Skidmore College and studied painting in Florence, Italy. His works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Art Critical The Color of Light: A Studio Visit with Greg Godberg
Opening Reception: April 17, 6-8 p.m.
Stephan Stoyanov Gallery
9 Orchard Street New York City 10002
Wed-Sat 11-6pm - Sun Noon-6pm