Piet van den Boog Bruised and Battered

February 23 - March 24, 2012

Opening Thursday February 23, from 6-8 pm

Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to present Bruised and Battered by Dutch artist Piet van den Boog. For his third solo show at the gallery, van den Boog pushes the limits of portraiture by directly confronting emotion head-on by way of large-scale paintings of faces. Oil and acrylic paint make up the flesh tones and fine facial details while abstract strokes in rust tones, cerulean blues and greens are chemically etched into the cold lead surfaces becoming a powerful metaphor for the internal scars we all possess.  

Piet van den Boog / Love like you’ll never be hurt / 2011 / Acrylic, oil, rust, azurite and malachite on lead mounted on wood / 75” x 59”

The imposing portraits depicted in the paintings, some as tall as 6 feet, are truncated from the body, consequently becoming nostalgic monumental ruins of a lost time. Akin to the brutal candor seen in the portraits of Jenny Saville and Lucian Freud, they surpass their own representation and acquire a bold, autonomous presence because of their distorted nature. They are not meant to remind the viewers of a specific person, but rather, they become an emblematic entity in and of themselves.

The works’ transcendence as universal symbols of emotionally charged memories is further reinforced in van den Boog’s choice of titles, many culled from song lyrics and poems. In the painting, If there’s one thing you can say about mankind, there’s nothing kind about man, a line from a Tom Waits song, a male figure appears to hover above the viewer, who unexpectedly find themselves thrust into an undermined position, as if knocked down in a battle. The title does not identify the individual portrayed but a perspective on humanity. The face looks back at the viewer with the haunting insistence of an unshakeable memory and the etching pain of heartache.

Piet van den Boog / If there is one thing you can say about mankind, there’s nothing kind about man / 2012 / Acrylic, oil, rust, azurite and malachite on oxidized lead mounted on wood 75” x 110”

A modern day Alchemist, van den Boog experiments with base metals like lead, copper and steel as a visual allegory of personal transmutation, and a quest for an emotional panacea - that cure-all for the human soul. It is van den Boog’s technical process which ultimately imbues the portraits with relatable human qualities. His masterful application of paint is calculated and controlled, while areas of exposed metal are worn and weathered by acids and other oxidizing chemicals in a process left mostly to chance. This element of technical surrender alludes to the unforeseen consequences of intimacy and the perpetual co-existence of pain and pleasure.

Remember, remember, this is now, and now and now, quoted from the journal of tortured poet Sylvia Plath, is one of two self-portraits in the show. Piet’s guarded gaze presents a balanced juxtaposition of emotional fragility and inner strength and resilience, both of which delineate the parameters of human emotion. Van den Boog reminds the viewer of the uncontrollability of life’s forces, with all of their sheer prowess and unpredictability, and the undeniable beauty of the present moment.

Piet van den Boog / Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now / 2011 / Acrylic, oil and rust on lead mounted on wood / 75” x 59”

Piet van den Boog (b.1951) currently lives and works in Amsterdam. His work is in many important international museums and collections, most notably: the Drents Museum, Assen Netherlands; Scheringa voor Realisme Collection Netherlands, the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, New Jersey, the Art Collection of Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Den Haag, Netherlands; ING Art Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands and the Miniature Museum, Gemeente Museum Den Haag, The Netherlands.

For additional information please contact Anna Ortt, Director at anna@mikeweissgallery.com  

A fully illustrated catalogue is available.

Mike Weiss Gallery

520 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011

Tel: 212-691-6899

Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 10am to 6pm

www.mikeweissgallery.com

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542 West 24th Street · New York, NY 10011

Cheerleaders, 2011, Oil on panel, 43 x 29 in / 109.2 x 73.7 cm

CHRIS COSNOWSKI  

American Metal 

March 1 - 31, 2012   

Artist’s Reception

Thursday, March 1, 2012  

6-8pm

Lyons Wier Gallery

542 West 24th St., New York, NY 10011  

Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11-6pm

Nearest subway: C,E @ 23^rd St & 8^th Ave.

Trophies have played a critical role throughout history.  Recipients take pleasure in their award, not because the trophy has monetary value, but because it symbolizes success. Those that win them cherish the satisfaction and legacy associated with them. They revel within the symbolism of the prize itself — victory.  Trophies are, and will continue to remain, a visible goal to which any competitor is geared, and harbor the unspoken sacrifices that victory so often demands.      

In American Metal, artist Chris Cosnowski utilizes and exploits the intrinsic value and symbolism of these treasured keepsakes. His paintings envision a nostalgic no-holds-barred America. The works allude to the idealism of American values, yet somehow the narratives speak volumes about shifting ideals via the represented objects. What appears to be solid and significant is trumped by the discovery that the metal is an illusion.  These beloved objects are not made of gold but merely spray plated plastic with no real weight - an apt metaphor for a country in economic turmoil due to its gratuitous and gluttonous pursuit of all that glitters.

Cosnowski’s figurines exemplify different aspects of American society: the rodeo trophies illustrate our romanticized past and the wild west in all its rugged testosterone-soaked glory; the cheerleaders embody an obsession with sports, beauty and social standing; the motocross continues the sports metaphor and also typifies America’s love for speed, daredevils and gasoline; the bodybuilder pokes fun at the prevailing image of the country as mighty and heroic and evaluates its preoccupation with and perception of physical beauty; and the policeman, whereby the artist states, “I used this imagery to represent the need for excessive security just to live ‘freely’ today.”  Cosnowski goes on to say, “America is ostensibly a meritocracy, and I think we can all agree that hard work, talent, creativity and integrity should be rewarded. American exceptionalism, however, seems to have been largely replaced with greed and a craving for celebrity. American metal (mettle) used to mean something solid.”

Muybridge Rodeo (Species Switcharoo), 2011, Oil on panel, 36 x 48 in / 91.4 x 121.92 cm

Chris Cosnowski received his MFA in Painting from Northwestern University and his BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, OH. His work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and London and has appeared in publications such as New American Paintings (Midwest Edition), American Art Collector and Chicago Magazine. Cosnowski currently lives and works in Chicago and has been represented by Lyons Wier Gallery since 2001. 

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Click here to preview images from the exhibition

For further information, please contact:

Lyons Wier Gallery

542 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011

Tel: + 1 212 242 6220  

Email: gallery@lyonswiergallery.com

www.lyonswiergallery.com