Nicolas Party's DEAD FISH
Karma Gallery
Reviewed by Marley Kinsman
After nearly two months of consecutive gallery visits there is one exhibition which still sticks with me- Nicolas Party's Dead Fish at Karma Gallery. In an effort to create something thrilling, something never before seen, artists lose their sanity and often end up painting an entire canvas one color. A self proclaimed "masterpiece", which is, in my opinion, garbage. Nicolas Party however, is bringing something refreshing to the table through reproducing not only paintings by the masters, but his own previous works as well. He primarily focuses on making smaller scale recreations of his own oil-on-copper paintings, but in his masterful recreations he uses the pastel-on-linen medium. He stays true to the beauty of Francisco Goya's Still Life with Golden Bream (1808-12), while giving it a slightly more modern and vibrant look. This is to me the most classic piece in Dead Fish, which provides a lovely contrast to Party's entrancing portrait work.
These pieces are abstract in not only their shape but in their color as well. The archway into the room and the limited view of his huge mural on the back wall draws the viewer into the space, and the sudden YET SUBTLE salmon pink walls are a shock to the eye. It feels like stepping outdoors into the light after being in a dark room for hours. Exciting, yet overwhelming. The wall color affects how we view the works on the wall as well, slightly changing how each color interacts within any given piece. One easter egg I noticed was the fact that if you take an image on a phone, the pink fades away. It is a phenomenon you can only experience in person- which draws me back to the eras of the original state of these masterful painting, primarily the Renaissance. This is a unique way to create something you can only view in its fullest in person, like in Renaissance days.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your review. I thought it was well written and the language you used helps to draw the reader in and gets them excited and interested in the artwork. I think the “easter egg” you found is neat and I am glad that you added that into your review. You mention that it reminds you of renaissance art work. Is there a specific artist and/or piece that it reminds you of? Maybe mention that briefly afterwards? I think that would benefit your review because then the reader can have something in their mind to compare Party’s work to. (hope that makes sense!) Overall, I enjoyed your review and thought it was well formatted. I too enjoyed the artwork of Nicholas Party.