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Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on May 16, 2014 at 9:58am

Curator’s Comments:

 

I quite enjoy the spontaneity of these New York scenes, as the color and mark making override any static capture of candid movement in the original photographic image.  In general I also have preferences for the vertical pieces, which take advantage of the rich and layered stacking of the urban environment.  They stretch out in a more dynamic and unexpected space from the traditional landscape format. I find the complementary blue and orange hues in this image to be particularly lush, and they help organize the various abrupt changes in directionality through the picture plane. The diagonal thrust of the linear fire escapes also nicely counter the opposing angle of the street and curb.  Surprisingly, the green and white ‘Avalon Chemists’ signage, which is centrally located, doesn’t overwhelm the space or carry too much visual weight.  Perhaps this is because of the strong linear perspective which leads the viewer along with the lone walking figure to the far left edge of the space. The adjacent work (designated 014) is arguably a bit further away from its photographic sources, as the central subjects start to dissolve into a flattened area of primary color.  These vibrant yellow and red hues in the middle ground push past the standing figures in the foreground, but they’re cleverly held down by the visual weight of the darker building and signs above.