Steven Assael “Candice Dropping Letter,” 2000, acrylic wash & graphite w/black crayon on paper, 18 1/2 x 14 1/4 inches
A NYAE OFFSITE EXHIBITION
Featuring: Juliette Aristides, Steven Assael, Anne-Marie Belli, Andrew S. Conklin, Diana Corvelle, Grace Athena Flott, Brooks Frederick, Andrew Hockenberry, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Maria Kreyn, Lisa Lebofsky, Liz Lindstrom, Zachari Logan, Daniel Maidman, Hyeseung Marriage-Song, Sherrie McGraw, Edward Minoff, Alexey Steele, Alexandra Tyng, Dorian Vallejo, Melanie Vote, Patricia Watwood, and More
Curated by: Michael Gormley and Patricia Watwood
Presented by: Equity Gallery, Portraits, Inc. and RayMar Art
Equity Online Marketplace
Feb. 15th - May 16th , 2021
DFN Projects, New York, NY
Feb. 14th - Mar. 12th , 2021
Monday — Friday, 11 AM — 4 PM
Courtyard Tea Reception: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2 — 4 PM
Portraits, Inc., Birmingham, AL
Apr. 17th - May 21st, 2021
“Shades of Blue” is revival of a drawing show, titled (appropriately enough) “Blue Drawings” which was first exhibited at Portraits, Inc. in June 2015 at their New York City gallery. As do many exhibitions, the collective theme arose from observing ascending trends in practice --in this instance the use of blue toned paper, line and/or wash to heighten the expressive impact of drawing--- specifically in representational and figurative styles. Individually, the drawings chosen for the show referenced a diverse range of influences--from the balanced restraint of the neo-classical to a more experiential modernism. Once installed, the drawings coalesced into an expansive field of sea and sky, each work a distinct shade in an overarching expression of blue’s psychic depth and purity.
There is great diversity in the meaning of color and its associations within the culture in different time periods. The initial impulse to restage a blue drawing show was not without political consequence--as clearly a blue wave was washing over the country. That said, the color blue calls to mind a serene constancy and the humanist pursuit of order, as opposed to a discontented chase after serial enthusiasms. Under this tempered lens, blue symbolizes restoration, as opposed to radical change, with undercurrents of introspection leading up to expansive vistas of rarefied beauty.
With a renewed appreciation for the diversity in color symbolism as a context-dependent influencer, the exhibition title “Shades of Blue” was adopted to signal a broader range of media expressions and to acknowledge an ever-expanding association of individuals and cultural groupings within the blue color space.