The Susan Inglett Gallery in Chelsea is
currently presenting an exhibit by William Villalongo for the exhibition Mind,
Body, and Soul. For this show, Villalongo unveils several vignette
paintings where he delves into his own imaginary realm filled with nymphs and
sirens surrounded by floral patterns and velvet flocked borders to convey a
dreamy atmosphere.
One intriguing piece titled Olympia’s
Window reflects themes of romance the gaze of a man in love. The top left
part of the image features a heart shape with the inside of it depicting a
woman leaning out of her window and holding her arm out to a man standing
outside who reaches his hand out to meet hers as they gaze into each other’s
eyes. The background of the painting is navy blue and is filled with colorful
design including human faces and a figure who appears to be seated
Indian-style.
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| Olympia's Window (2015) by William Villalongo |
Villalongo pays homage to the four seasons of
the year with four different paintings with each one featuring a silhouette of
a young woman shown from head to toe with her bones and other internal organs
visible and effectively captures the ambience that each season brings. The
paintings have one dominant color decorated with unique floral patterns leading
to an open space where in which the silhouette is standing. In Winter,
the color is dark blue with the young woman standing on a block of ice as a
bare tree branch hangs over her head. In Spring, the color is yellow and
the woman is standing on a grassy hill with her bones emitting neon colors. Summer
also features a woman standing on grass with dark green surrounding the image
and so does Autumn with the dominant color being bright orange and
depicting a squirrel running up a tree.
Racial inequality and social justice are also
common themes in Villalongo’s work. For instance, Black Lives Matter
portrays a nude black woman sitting on a bench by a lake wearing boxing gloves
and holds up one arm and a silhouette of a woman holding her wrist amidst a
navy blue background filled with several shapes including leaves, eyes, black
hearts, and an open hand.
At The Susan Inglett Gallery, 522 W. 24th
St., through Oct. 17. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.
