Paul Verdell Still Life

Exhibitions

Paul Verdell: Still Life
February 27 - March 27, 2021

Artwork Images

Louis Buhl & Co. is pleased to present Still Life, a solo exhibition of one-of-a-kind works by Toledo-based artist Paul Verdell. Primarily using oil pastel and crayon as his medium of choice, Verdell produces expressionistic paintings and drawings full of bright colors and textural marks that are driven by the artist’s sense of immediacy in the moment of creation. 

Garnering inspiration from post-impressionist and fauvist techniques, Verdell emphasizes form and movement through color to familiarize his audience with the work’s imagery without going into extensive detail. Presenting two-dimensional planes complete with loosely rendered lines and imperfect depictions of reality, Verdell is not concerned with portraying his subjects in their true form. Rather, he is focused on expressing his ideas through mood and intuition. It was while referencing Beauford Delaney — a painter widely known for his colorful Modernist compositions and distinctive approach to figuration (and one of Verdell’s favorite artists) — that Verdell became further attached to the tradition of painting portraiture and chiefly inspired to continue his study of still life objects and landscapes. 

Citing the pandemic as an opportunity to slow down and focus more closely on the world around him, Verdell’s Still Life series is, above all, an exploration of and appreciation for the “small moments in life.” The exhibition will showcase a series of unique drawings on paper — the imagery depicting the artist’s friends, surroundings, and other moments or things that have presented creative inspiration during this time. “Some works are more intimate than others, from past drawing sessions of people sitting for me, to random photos laying in [my] studio, [to direct observations of] life while looking out of my bedroom window. I made these works in an effort to slow down and view the world around me,” says Verdell. With the chaotic mark making and explosion of color that oil pastel and crayon allow, Verdell abandons precise realism, defining his subjects by the movement of color and expression. 

Just as important to Verdell as his subject is its surroundings. Says the artist: “I not only want the figure or subject of the work to be noticeable, but everything else around it, as well. Color to me is life, and I want to express that in the works as much as possible.” Whether it’s his studio in Toledo or the intimate setting of a friend’s home, the atmosphere in which Verdell interacts with his subject plays a large role in determining the outcome of the piece. It is through the artist’s use of simplified figures and saturated colors that he emphasizes the inherent flatness of the paper — unifying the foreground with the background to create works that are bold and balanced. 

Paul Verdell: Still Life will be on display from February 27 through March 27, 2021, by appointment. To make an appointment to view the exhibition in person, please email info@louisbuhl.com

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