RICK
PROL
The
Metamorphosis
SEPT 18 – OCT 31, 2003
–
PRESS RELEASE
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The
Metamorphosis
September 18th – October 31, 2004
Project Room: Occam’s Razor
Maya Stendhal Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition of the
renowned neo-expressionist artist Rick Prol. The Metamorphosis featuring
new paintings, has stylistic affinities to early expressionist masters
Munch, Beckman, and Goya. Prol, a native New Yorker and Cooper Union
graduate, came into prominence in the early eighties, along with
contemporaries Haring, Basquiat, Schnabel, Wojnarowicz, and the
80’s east village art scene.
The Metamorphosis, a series originally conceived in the mid to late
eighties, took Prol approximately fifteen years to complete. Having
worked primarily in acrylics, Prol’s return to oils allowed
him to create a richer surface quality and meaning. The build up
of layers of paint and surface texture became a primary aspect of
the image itself. In these respects, Prol’s work is reminiscent
of Gorky’s paintings of the 1930’s, specifically his
self-portrait with mother and many still lifes, whose encrusted
layers took many years to complete.
Prol’s paintings are best described as personal pictures conveying
an existential message, a desperate aspect of fin de siécle
– anxiety and apocalypse. In Metamorphosis I, the interior
with the lonely grotesque figure at the window surrounded by broken
bottles is indicative of man-made vices of exile, substance abuse,
addiction, isolation, excess, and repressed negative energy that
eventually erupts into a state of mania. The expressionistic colors,
vigorous brushwork, and a calculated textural surface bring the
character to another dimension: the flesh takes on form, the colors
take on life.
On view in the project room will be an installation, Occam’s
Razor, consisting of drawings and a large-scale sculpture.
The opening reception will take place on Thursday, September 18th
6-9pm.
For additional information, or to receive a press kit, please contact
Maya Stendhal Gallery.
Maya | Stendhal | Gallery
545 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
T 212.366.1549
F 212.366.1531
www.mayastendhalgallery.com
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