Hope Gangloff portrays subjects in natural habitat at Chelsea gallery show

The Susan Inglett Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of paintings by Hope Gangloff in a self-titled exhibition. For her sixth solo show at the gallery, Gangloff offers several portraits of several individuals, many of whom are friends or acquaintances, who are seen in their natural environments that reflect his or her character, and include compositional patterns. 

For instance, an image titled Yelena features a woman standing in her closet in front of several colorful articles of clothing, many of which have striped patterns. The woman is posing with one hand on her hip and one foot on a light green and purple stool wearing orange boot, a red and blue striped shirt, and a skirt with square designs.

 These square layouts can also be seen in Checkered Flag which is a portrait of artist Yuri Masnyj drawing in his sketchbook as two other drawings of his can be seen taped on the wall behind him. The cool shades of blue and green convey the notion of solitude, and the walls of the room have standard-size square tiles, while the floor has smaller square tiles with highlights of green, orange, and yellow. Even the subject’s shirt consists of miniscule square patterns.

Dark Horse (Tim Traynor) (2015)

Another intriguing piece titled Dark Horse (Tim Traynor) depicts a man playing the drums with his arms raised in a funny position with his elbows pointing out to the sides. The man is hitting his drums so hard that he breaks one of them and bolts of lightning can be seen coming from the sticks. Behind him is a gate with diamond patterns.

Domestic life and friendship are the primary themes behind Ben and Daisy featuring a man lying in his bed with arms stretched out as his beloved black dog rests by his side. The painting warmly captures the idea of how dogs are a man’s best friend and the bond that humans have with their pets.

 At The Susan Inglett Gallery, 522 W. 24th St., through Jun. 6. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.

The Top 10 Museum exhibits in NYC you won't want to miss

One of the greatest gifts New York City has to offer is its burgeoning art scene that’s constantly being revived with intellectual and intriguing exhibitions at its many world renowned museums, galleries, and other institutions. Here are the Top Ten shows to see this month:

1. America is Hard to See—The Whitney Museum settles in to a new home in the Meatpacking District with an inaugural exhibition of more than 600 works inspired by a poem by Robert Frost and a political documentary by Emile de Antonio revolving around art history from the early 20th century to the present. At The Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St., through Sept. 27.

2. Life of Cats: Selections From the Hiraki Ukiyao-e Collection—This charming exhibit includes 90 Ukiyao prints and other works borrowed from different collections that illustrate the significance of felines in Japanese culture and folklore. At The Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., through Jun. 7.

3. Coypel’s Don Quixote Tapestries—Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ classic 17th century novel, this exhibition includes a collection of paintings that have been woven into tapestries by Charles Coypel, painter to Louis XV of France, completed between 1714 and 1734 of iconic scenes from the story with one final painting completed in 1751, a year before Coypel’s death. At The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St., through May 17.

4. Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: The Woman in Gold—Since 2006, Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s famous painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, has called the Neue Galerie its home. The painting features Adele Bloch-Bauer, a patron of the arts from Vienna who was a close friend of Klimt’s. This special exhibit features paintings, drawings, photographs, and archival materials that focus on their relationship. At the Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave., through Sept. 7th.

5. Masterpieces & Curiosities: Nicole Eisenman’s Sedar—New York City-based artist Nicole Eisenman presents a collection of paintings that revolve around the significance of the story and ritual of Passover including images of families gathered for Sedar with glasses of red wine and pieces of matzah, and holding copies of the Haggadah as the story of Exodus is retold. Eisenman conveys themes of love, dark humor and loneliness and her artistic influences include Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pierre Bonnard, and Norman Rockwell. At The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., through Aug. 9th.

Adele Bloch-Bauer I  by Gustav Klimt  (1907, oil, silver, and gold on canvas)

6. China Through the Looking Glass—This dazzling exhibit organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute highlights China’s influence on fashion and art in Western culture. Aesthetically pleasing dresses and costumes, designed by Yves Saint Laurent and Paul Poiret among others will be on view alongside paintings, porcelain pieces, and even film revealing enchanting Chinese imagery. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., through Aug. 16.

7. One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series—Jacob Lawrence, one of the most influential African-American artists of the 20th century, gained national recognition in 1941, at age 23, by creating a series of 60 paintings telling the story of the Great Migration focusing on the trials and tribulations that thousand of African American men and women faced as they made their epic journey from the rural South to the urban North. At The Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., through Sept. 7. 

8. Lincoln and the Jews—Commemorating 150 years since the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, this exhibition focuses on the close relationships he formed with fellow Jews at a time when Jews made up a miniscule portion of America’s population. A collection of original documents, artifacts, and photographs, and shed light on Lincoln’s friendships and how he became advocate for Jewish equality and independence. At The New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, through Jun. 7.

  

9. Laurie Simmons: How we See—New York city-based artist Laurie Simmons presents several cropped photographs of glamorous, young fashion models with large, sparkling eyes that have been painted on their closed eyelids making them appear hypnotized. With these altered photographs, Simmons examines the lengths some women will go to (through wearing makeup, dresses, or even getting cosmetic surgery) to make them appear to be as beautiful as Barbie dolls or similar characters. At The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., through Aug. 9th.

10. Sultan of Deccan India, 1500-1700, Opulence and Fantasy—This exhibition consists of more than 200 works from numerous collections worldwide that focus on the rich, Indian Deccan courts in the 16th and 17th century which became a Mecca for artists, writers, and diamond traders from all over the world. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., through Jul. 26.

Yves Crenn's animal portraits and other paintings on view at Soho gallery

The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie in Soho is currently presenting a collection of work by Yves Crenn for an exhibition titled Un Autre Temps, which translates to “Another Time.” For his sixth solo show at the gallery, Crenn offers exquisite new paintings where he uses a wide range of subjects including portraits of animals, nude figures, and still-lifes. The inspiration for many of Crenn’s paintings came during a trip to Pompeii as a young child when he became fascinated by the frescoes and artifacts preserved in the ashes, and the textures and muted colors in his paintings are very much like those seen in Italian frescoes.

One of Crenn’s animal portraits titled Dalmatien is a poignant image of a dog of the classic breed with a gentle, compassionate expression on its face. Other animal paintings include Chien un collier rouge II featuring a white canine happily running around a sandy beach, and Porcelaine which features a porcelain-colored white dog standing alone with the pale blue and white colors illustrating a cold, winter night.

Dalmatien by Yves Crenn

Crenn effectively illustrates how natural beauty of the female figure with his intimate nudes where he uses warm colors. These include Deuxieme Mouvement featuring a woman standing with her back turned to the viewer as she looks to the side, and Femme au drape illustrating a young woman’s poise and graceful style as she sits up on her bed with half of her body covered in a silky white dress or blanket.

Crenn makes excellent use of soft brushstrokes in his landscape and still-life paintings. Still-life paintings such as Bouquet de roses I and Bouquets au carnet bleu illustrate vases of lush, white flowers; landscape paintings such as Un arbre a Hyde Park and Vache au Val de Saanee feature trees with lush, green leaves blowing in the wind.

At The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie, 472 West Broadway, through May 17. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.

Deborah Kahn's new paintings at Chelsea gallery convey wide range of emotions

The Bowery Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of new oil paintings by Deborah Kahn that focus on emotion. Kahn’s subjects include men, women, and she uses certain colors in her works to convey different feelings.

For instance, Floating depicts several individuals who appear to be contemplating different things and experiencing different emotions. A couple of these characters include a mother sitting on a window sill as she holds her child who can be seen hanging from his mother’s arms as his legs are crossed. The background consists of cool colors like light blue and green as though each one is floating in a sea of his or her own feelings hence the title of the painting. 

"Floating" (2014) by Deborah Kahn

Another notable painting titled Mars Red Man and Yellow Animal features a young man who represents a character that exists in all of us, full of humor and pain. The different movements and colors in the paintings symbolize how the mind’s fluid movement from conscious to the unconscious, and also represent how emotions are transferred from one individual to another, or even to an animal. 

About her work, Kahn says “I believe that art, like emotion, contains coexisting contradictions. My paintings are an attempt to make this idea concrete.... Painting for me is a controlled connection to an inner world.”

Kahn studied at Boston University and the Kansas City Art Institute before receiving her MFA from Yale University. She is an Associate Professor Emerita at American University in Washington, DC. She also taught at Dartmouth College, Yale University and the New York Studio School. Kahn has exhibited widely in the United States and also in Japan. She was a past recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

At the Bowery Gallery 530 W. 25th St., through May 16. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.