In the new exhibition Flower Power at Arcadia Contemporary in Pasadena, California, the theme of flowers moves beyond “the expected and mundane” still lifes. The paintings in the show include innovative compositions, unique color palettes and more, elevating the subject matter to new standards.
Francine Van Hove, L’escalier aux Roses Trémières, oil on canvas, 28¾ x 21¼"
“We invited bold and daring painters from around the world who use flowers in sexy, contemporary or daring imagery,” elaborates gallery owner Steve Diamant. “And while we certainly will include some of the in finest ‘traditional still life painters,’ we look forward to challenge people’s perceptions of what a painting with flowers would and could look like.”
Figs and Vase is a personal painting by Loren DiBenedetto. “The pressed glass vase in this painting was my mom’s,” the artist says. “I wanted to paint it with the luminosity that she possessed in life, she was a shining star!”
Mark Liam Smith, Lemon and Grasshopper, oil on panel, 16 x 12"
Carlos Vega, Jar of Flowers, oil on linen, 27½ x 27½
Another work in the show, Flower Study No. 2, by Wendelin Wohlgemuth, approaches flowers from abstraction. The piece is built in “transparent layers of paint in order to generate an experience of it as a faded memory,” the artist explains. “Flowers are often used to signify major life events such as weddings or funerals. This piece embodies an apprehensive ambiguity that creates a space for the viewer to fill with his or her own emotional response to memories of past life events.”
Loren DiBenedetto, Figs and Vase, oil on linen, 30 x 40"
Francine Van Hove’s painting L’escalier aux Roses Trémières is a tribute to her favorite poet, Paul Verlaine. Van Hove quotes a line from the French writers’s work Il Bacio: “Baiser! Rose trémière au jardin des caresses,” which translates to, “Kiss! Hollyhock in love’s luxuriant close!”
Other artists in the show, which will be on view December 12 through 26, include Carlos Vega, Jorge Villalba, Mark Liam Smith and Juan Ruiz.
Arcadia Contemporary
39 E. Colorado Boulevard • Pasadena, CA 91105 •
(626) 486-2018 • www.arcadiacontemporary.com
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