Buster Levi Gallery is pleased to present Corporeal Landscape II, by Liz Foulks at 121 Main Street in Cold Spring, New York. The exhibition will run from February  4 through February 26, 2023.  The opening for the show will be on Saturday February 4, 2023 from 5-8pm

The paintings in Corporeal Landscape II are a new investigation of a theme explored in a series of charcoal drawings exhibited at the Ildiko Butler Gallery in New York City. The drawings were based on variations of the figure, mostly sourced from classical sculptures and the emotional tenor of Romanticism.  They were assembled into one large work measuring 2.5 x 20 feet. The works in Corporeal Landscape II, six separate panels measuring 3x24’,  are executed in acrylic paints instead of charcoal allowing Foulks to create more nuanced depictions of form and add subtle color notes to the work.

Though based on the same subject, there are clear differences between the works. Technically, the drawings were created using black charcoal to create shadows and the values in between. The paintings in Corporeal Landscape II use a dark ground made by applying multiple layers of black gesso and then bringing the highlights out of the shadows. Another difference is the amount of exaggeration in the figures overall. Both works employ enlargements of the figure, however in the paintings there is more exaggeration of the figures and body parts as well as increased focus on detail that is also exaggerated. Foulks in a written statement explained her intention; “Corporeal Landscape II examines the disorienting experience of shifting familiar sights into otherworldly contexts. Using the most familiar and personal of forms – the human body – as a source of manipulation, this large piece plays with the viewer’s eye through surprising transformations of arms, legs, fingers, and other bodily forms.” In discussing her use of exaggeration she writes: “Calves morph into collarbones, elbows into knees, thighs into forearms. Thickly-contrasted tendons and ligaments – some anatomically fictional – produce a deeply graphic quality. Empty voids engulf portions of the body, yielding a surreal push-and-pull effect. Overall, this bodily landscape coaxes viewers to decide what they perceive as real and unreal.” Corporeal Landscape II is a powerful work that will engage the viewer on multiple levels that include rigorous realism, emotional intensity and intricate compositional vitality. 

Liz Foulks is a NYC-based visual artist, specializing in contemporary realism & portraiture.

Buster Levi Gallery is open Saturday and Sunday from 12-5 pm. 

For more information: busterlevigallery.com.

Artist website: http://lizfoulks.com/

Artist Instagram: @lizfoulks_art

Artist Contact: lizfoulks7@gmail.com