Mu Pan, Nicola Verlato, and More Channel Their Sense of Adventure in “Blaze of Glory”

Nicola Verlato

International artists channel their sense of adventure into new works for Gallery Poulsen’s show, “Blaze of Glory.” Opening tonight, the exhibition presents adventurous paintings in both concept and style. Their collective vision is not the Wild West that you’ve seen in movies. Each explores their respective cultures, or the very idea of exploration, whether inspired by the American Fronteir to Eastern historical battles. Perhaps there is no greater example of Western conflict here than in Nicola Verlato’s (Hi-Fructose 3) work. His sweeping figurative paintings re-contextualize stories about the “Conquest of the West” to “How the West Was Won”. Verlato’s “Attack on the Settlement” portrays a group of settlers being overtaken by Native Americans in monochrome. The image represents an abrupt interruption of industrial progress, as they are unable to complete their structure, which collapses into geometric pieces.

Christian Rex van Minnen works on “Still Life with Journal Entry and Diabetes” during our studio visit with the artist.

Dramatic themes are a characteristic of Mu Pan’s art, whose acrylic painting illustrates confrontation between Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese culture. Gigantic animals, here a “Sharkuza,” are often at the center of complex warfare stirring with tiny fighters. Christian Rex van Minnen’s (HF Vol. 25) adventurous spirit, on the other hand, can be found in the chaos of his imagery. We recently visited with Minnen in his studio, where he was finishing his piece for the exhibit, “Still Life with Journal Entry and Diabetes”. The concept of adventure exists in his composition; a mixture of lumped forms, ripened fruits and florals, which appear to jump off the canvas. Take a look at more pieces in “Blaze of Glory: New Art from New York Part VI,” opening today.

Christian Rex Van Minnen

Mu Pan

John Jacobsmeyer

Jean-Pierre Roy