The Bowery Gallery in
Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by Dena Schutzer for the
exhibition Local Encounters. For her second solo show at
the gallery, Schutzer unveils paintings that are inspired by her astute
observations of the people she comes across throughout her daily life in an
urban environment.
One subject Schutzer
illustrates often is that of people with jobs that are physically demanding,
laboring away day in and day out. She captures the workers’ plight quite
profoundly in Construction Workers Black,
White, and Yellow by using black ink to portray the workers as they move
around hauling heavy objects. Traces of yellow can also be seen in the
painting, and the combination of black and yellow illustrates the notion of a
thunderstorm occurring adding to the dynamic of the scene.
Meanwhile, images such as Workers Relaxing, Truck Drivers-Blue, or Construction
Worker Against a Wall capture these workmen as they take their break,
lounging around in the back of their trucks or at their construction sites
looking at their smart phones. Schutzer also portrays
local people in her neighborhood at their homes or on the streets. One painting
titled Ben With Earbuds features a
teenage boy wearing a sweater and jeans slouched on his bright red sofa with
headphones hanging from one of his ears illustrating the life of a typical
teenager.
Similarly, Boy on Skateboard
depicts a boy, most likely between 10 and 12 years old riding his skateboard
which is sky blue, making it stand out against the monochromatic gray, sepia,
and brown in the background. The boy is wearing a black T-shirt that displays a
wide smiley face; in the background, a man and a woman can be seen by the steps
of an apartment.
 |
| "Two Boys" (2014) by Dena Schutzer |
Also of note is the
painting Two Boys featuring two brothers, one of them who’s about six or seven
years old and the other almost a teenager, sitting in the living room of their
home dressed in blue suits as though they’re dressed to attend Sunday Mass.
Dena
Schutzer is the Art Department Head at the Heschel High School in NYC. She
has illustrated children’s books for Simon and Schuster, Knopf, and Scholastic
among others, and her editorial illustrations have been published in newspapers
and magazines including The NY Times, The New Yorker and Newsday.
At the Bowery Gallery 530 W. 25th St., through
Apr. 18. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 6
p.m.
