The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie in Soho is currently presenting a collection of work by Michel Delacroix for the exhibition Le Temps Retrouve (Time Regained). For this show, Delacroix presents several paintings of the streets of his native city of Paris as he remembers it. These include images of iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and scenes of daily Parisian life.
One painting that effectively captures the spirit of the holiday season is Joyeuse nuit de neige which translates to “Merry Night of Snow” which illustrates a snowy evening in the City of Light. The image looks precisely as though the viewer is looking outside a window at what’s happening out in front of them. Snowflakes fall lightly from the sky covering the ground, and several rooftops. The mood is lively as locals ride in their streetcars and on horses and carriages, as several others walk along the sidewalks and children play happily in the street, with one chasing a puppy and others gathered around a Christmas tree decorated with bright red ornaments in the middle of a narrow lane. The action takes places in a friendly neighborhood with small apartment buildings with small business and shops below. Out in the distance is the rest of the city where a church and the Eiffel Tower can be seen.
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| Paris au mois d'aout (2015, acrylic on board) by Michel Delacroix |
A closer image of the Eiffel Tower at night can be seen in Sur la Terrasse (On the Terrace) with a bright blue light beaming its rays horizontally from the top. As the title of the painting suggests, the image is seen through the perspective as someone on the terrace of their apartment as the balcony can be seen in the foreground where a couple, their two children, and their dog are enjoying the evening. The orange and red leaves on the trees out in the distance suggest that it’s autumn.
Finally, one truly heartwarming image titled La Jeune Mere is set inside the living room of a young mother who is watching over her baby with love as it rests in its crib. The curtains are drawn to reveal the light shining through as her husband walks across bringing flowers over to the dining table in the corner, as the family dog travels faithfully by his side.
At The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie, 472 West Broadway, through Dec. 28. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.
