For many of us, the fear of being forgotten is a haunting prospect. This fear became reality for a group of 20th century artists. These artists worked as teachers, photo assistants, critics, curators and editors, all over the world, creating a little-seen collection of paintings. In a small room of the New York Life Gallery, the exhibition sleeping beauties immerses viewers in a collection of paintings that bring mostly unknown artists to life. The exhibition, curated by photographer and gallery owner Ethan James Green, offers a close look at diverse individuals through paintings that showcase each artist’s unique styles and techniques.
In each painting, the artist takes the audience into the most intimate spaces of people’s lives. In two works by painter, draftsman and printmaker Raphael Soyer, “Nude Reclining in Bed” (c. 1960s) and “Girl in Brown Jacket” (1938), the subjects project a sense of vulnerability that should leave the viewer eager to see more of his art. Virginia Dudley, painter, printer, sculptor, jeweler and photographer, is represented by an untitled painting from 1949. The Cubist-influenced work depicts a black woman in the privacy of her home, exuding a carefree sensibility that invites viewers to engage with her. Green’s thoughtful curation offers audiences a space for personal connection through the private and rarely seen moments in the lives of others.
The color palette and facial expressions in each painting project the emotions of the subject and the artist. “Self-Portrait” (1949) by Leroy E. Mitchell, Jr., a Michigan-born painter, writer, and teacher whose biography could only be pieced together by friends, best captures the feelings of an overlooked artist. This extraordinary painting, salvaged from a junkyard in Roseville, Michigan, according to Swann Auction Galleries, illustrates the grief that many gifted artists endure as Mitchell gazes down at the viewer with a sober expression while painting his portrait.
At the heart of the show is the sense that the human experience transcends age, ethnicity and origin. The captivating works inspire empathy, not only for the artists and their subjects, but also for the strangers we will encounter on our way out.
sleeping beauties continues at New York Life Gallery (167–169 Canal Street, Floor 5, Chinatown, Manhattan) through July 14. The exhibition was curated by Ethan James Green.
