Monthly Archives: August 2015

Journey To The Son

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Alan Singer

Dick Waterman’s portrait of Eddie “Son” House, in the early 1960’sGEVA Theatre:  Here in Rochester, New York, an unusual event has taken on a festival atmosphere and it centers on a musical phenomenon called “the blues” and a particular expon… Continue reading →

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You Are Now Experiencing Perception

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Alan Singer
The disillusionment of dreams by Bradley Butler
at 
Geisel Gallery in the new Legacy Tower
former headquarters of Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, NY


“We dream, we wake on a cold hillside, we pursue the dream again. In the beginning was the dream, and the work of disenchantment never ends.”
― Kim Stanley Robinson, Icehenge

All points bulletin for sentient beings:  You are now experiencing perception.  Just think of all the forces that have to come together in just the right way for you to even read this page!  We don’t even know the half of it – but we will gain some clues from science and medicine along the way – and it will still be a mystery.  The point is we take perception for granted – and we are reminded of all this by Bradley Butler in his new show of paintings at The Geisel Gallery in the newly named Legacy Tower in downtown Rochester, NY.



a poetic fragment without a credit line
helps set the stage for this show

This is your chance to see a body of artwork that is all of one piece – each of the twenty-five or more works support one another and this represents a moment in a young artist’s career when he can put together a show without fear, or having to fit into someone else’s categories.  That is a very good thing for Bradley Butler, because categories will not do justice to this artwork – which is too poetic to fit neatly into a box anyhow.

  
Contemplating Alternate Realities, painting on canvas, 2014
by
Bradley Butler

Brad was one of our gifted students in a recent graduate painting program at R.I.T.  I had the pleasure of seeing his painting begin to evolve from something more quotidian to a more abstract and lyrical approach to the application of his rather somber colors.  But Brad has a way with these few colors that cranks up the mystery and emotions that go along with it, and a viewer can go and get lost in this work.



“Unraveled and Dislodged “
by Bradley Butler

Brad’s paintings range from the intimate in scale to something a little larger and most of these paintings were made in the last two years.  The colors can remind one of the ocean ( in rough weather ) and I see traces of Turner’s sea battles in the lyrical approach to his compositions.  Sometimes Brad can lapse into a more representational mode where you can see skeins of wool unraveling or a whale surfacing, but these are interesting metaphors to employ, and they work like hooks in a pop song – they keep you coming back to look at them.

I particularly like the allusions to floating and such that these poetic paintings seem to conjure up.  I would say on the whole this is a very satisfying show to visit, and you may want to come back for more.


“The disillusionment of dreams…
by
Bradley Butler
August 5 – 29th, 2015


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Round Up, My Grand Tour, Part Six

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Alan Singer

Albert Paley’s “Epoch”inWashington, D.C.Across the street from The Smithsonian American Museum of Art I saw large scale sculpture by Albert Paley, but I had a difficult time finding a name plate or any description of the piece, until I went online to i… Continue reading →

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Salute To Baltimore, Grand Tour Part Five

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Alan Singer

George Washington Monument in Baltimore, MDAgainst a backdrop of racial tension earlier this year, I planned to arrive in Baltimore for the BRIDGES exhibition and conference and found a convenient place to stay in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood.  I l… Continue reading →

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BRIDGES in Baltimore, Grand Tour Part Four

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Alan Singer

Washington Monument in the Mt. Vernon section of Baltimore, MDI drove into Baltimore to participate in BRIDGES, an international conference about Art & Mathematics.  Prior to our arrival, the art on view ( including two of my recent works ) wa… Continue reading →

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Falling For Fallingwater, The Grand Tour Continues…

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Alan Singer

Fallingwaterby Frank Lloyd Wrightin the Laurel Highlands of PennsylvaniaRhododendrons were dripping with moisture as we rounded the bend toward the visitor center in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.  We were going to see the Frank Lloyd Wright house known … Continue reading →

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Looking For Kuniyoshi, The Grand Tour, Part 2

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Alan Singer

“Boy Stealing Fruit” by Yasuo Kuniyoshi, 1923from the exhibition The Artistic Journey of Yasuo KuniyoshiatSmithsonian American Art MuseumWashington, D.C.A few months ago at a show in New York City, I was engaged by a conversation with my friend To… Continue reading →

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Grand Mid Atlantic Tour / Part One

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Alan Singer

Passer-by at The National GalleryWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C.The National Gallery is a cool spot in a Capitol way.  I duck in for a few minutes on a hot summer to soak up some art, and I have to sit for a second – this being a hazy humid day -… Continue reading →

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