Wallace Whitney – Giordano Pozzi

Wallace Whitney

Giordano Pozzi

Wallace Whitney’s exhibition of new
paintings at Canada, an exiting new gallery space at 55 Chrystie Street in New
York, is without a doubt one of the finest shows of contemporary painting that
I have come across in recent memory. The exhibition consists of twelve new works
on canvas and panels that vary in size from a small square to a wall-dominating
rectangle. Crafted using oil paints and marking mediums in just about every form
that can be imagined with a laborious process of painting and re-painting that
builds the texture and depth of the pieces. The artist lays down the foundation
of these paintings as though he was describing filtered color fields of perception
and then moves into the details of his subjects describing their structure with
pallet knife gestures, dabs and linear brush strokes. Once the presence of the
subject has been defined he moves back in with washes and sprays diffusing the
light and creating further depth and movement. The end result of these efforts
manifests itself in lyrical, delicate works that pack a punch.

 Following the artist’s thought process
through these pieces is an exciting journey not just on the level of visual surface
but also in an historical sense as well. The works draw from the language of
painting through the centuries, Chinese mists, Pollock’s gestures and Monet’s
water lilies all find their way into these magnificent paintings. The end product
transcends it’s antecedents to become a masterly description of what painting
today can be when it is allowed to roam freely and not impeded by the stylistic
contrivances that dominate much of the work heralded in our age. These are painterly
paintings that celebrate painting as a form of expression in the purest sense
and bring joy, light and curious exploration to the viewer’s eyes.