December 21, 2006
HUDSON RIVER SCHOOLED
(Manhattan Bridge with Reflection, by Christine Lafuente)
While the holidays can be an exceedingly busy time, residents of NYC and visitors may want to take some time to catch an exhibition of a painter who successfully bridges the gaps between urban and natural mise-en-scenes. The Manhattan location of Frost & Reed Galleries is currently exhibiting "Riverscapes and Floating Worlds": a collection of watercolors situated around New York and the Hudson River Valley as painted by Christine Lafuente. From the gallery's description of the exhibition:
Riverscapes and Floating Worlds opening on November 30th showcases Lafuente’s unique vision of city views, riverscapes and still lifes. An award-winning artist and one of today’s leading exponents of American painterly realism in New York, Lafuente is known for the energy and excitement her dazzling brushwork brings to alla prima painting.
In painting directly from nature, Lafuente evokes the essence and the symbolic import of her subject. Her gift for unlocking the poetic potentials of everyday scenes can be appreciated in such works as View Toward Brooklyn Bridge, Winter, 2005 (image to the right) and East River Reflection, 2006 - a striking series of paintings of post-9-11 downtown New York. Views of the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, the East River, Brooklyn waterfront and Manhattan skyline - with their rich color, dynamic shapes and sparkling light, capture the emotions and hopes for the future which pervade in this tremendously vital section of the city.
(Hudson River, Cloudy Morning)
Frost & Reed Galleries is located at 21 E67th St. between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Its exhibition of Lafuente's work runs through January 6, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. If one can't make it in person, a selection is viewable online here.
As a personal aside, I believe that Christine Lafuente may be a daughter of Colette Lafuente, who taught Civics and my AP Government class in high school. Despite having to teach a class to second-semester seniors during the final period of the day, she always managed to hold my attention. Rightly so, considering that she was simultaneously serving as a multi-term Mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie. She remains one of my favorite high school teachers.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at December 21, 2006 9:42 PM
| ArtTrackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.lexiphane.com/mt/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/1032