Leland Bell: Paint, Precision, and Placement
The New York Studio School is pleased to present Leland Bell: Paint, Precision, and Placement. A Centennial Exhibition, curated by Steven Harvey, on view September 9 鈥� October 23, 2022. This solo exhibition of large-scale paintings of figure groups and self-portraits by Leland Bell commemorates the 100th anniversary of the artist鈥檚 birth. A reception will be held on Saturday, September 17 from 6-8pm.
Bell approached figuration through the lens of abstract painting in his use of bold outlines and striking fields of color. Jed Perl observes that 鈥渢he excitement [in Bell鈥檚 work] is in the dissonance, in the tension between Bell鈥檚 strongly shaped figures and his flat planes of high-keyed color.鈥�1 Bell鈥檚 exuberant scenes of daily life possess a theatrical quality, with statuesque figures posed in expressive gestures frozen in time like tableaux vivant. Jennifer Samet writes that 鈥淏ell was compelled to penetrate nature by achieving an ultimate realization of forms and their integration.鈥�2 His self-portraits are equally dynamic, characterized by strong lines and psychological intensity. R.B. Kitaj describes Bell鈥檚 work as 鈥渁 world-view of daily existence at the level of myth.鈥�
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The New York Studio School is pleased to present Leland Bell: Paint, Precision, and Placement. A Centennial Exhibition, curated by Steven Harvey, on view September 9 鈥� October 23, 2022. This solo exhibition of large-scale paintings of figure groups and self-portraits by Leland Bell commemorates the 100th anniversary of the artist鈥檚 birth. A reception will be held on Saturday, September 17 from 6-8pm.
Bell approached figuration through the lens of abstract painting in his use of bold outlines and striking fields of color. Jed Perl observes that 鈥渢he excitement [in Bell鈥檚 work] is in the dissonance, in the tension between Bell鈥檚 strongly shaped figures and his flat planes of high-keyed color.鈥�1 Bell鈥檚 exuberant scenes of daily life possess a theatrical quality, with statuesque figures posed in expressive gestures frozen in time like tableaux vivant. Jennifer Samet writes that 鈥淏ell was compelled to penetrate nature by achieving an ultimate realization of forms and their integration.鈥�2 His self-portraits are equally dynamic, characterized by strong lines and psychological intensity. R.B. Kitaj describes Bell鈥檚 work as 鈥渁 world-view of daily existence at the level of myth.鈥�
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