Until December 24, you can see the work Alexandra Tyng at the Gross McLeaf Gallery, in Center City (127 S. 16th St.).
From the Gross McLeaf Website –
A viewer is swept into a cinematic world of mystery in Alexandra Tyng’s new exhibition at Gross McCleaf, The Architecture of Connection. Well known for her portrait painting, Tyng is also a skilled interpreter of visual narratives related to mythology and dreams. Utilizing the same technical proficiency as in her portraits, Tyng captivates and intrigues with these more complex paintings. Her perspectival lines place the viewer within the composition, and illusive, yet familiar, worlds begin to unfold.
Defy the Gods 48″x52″ Oil On Canvas
Tyng spends a great deal of time with each painting, articulating intricate details and rich lighting effects with her distinct painted mark. She is a careful observer and reliable narrator of natural settings and the human figure. Many of her works borrow from the tropes of Greek and Roman mythology. For example, in Tyng’s painting, The Shadow of Abundance, the main character, reminiscent of Botticelli’s Flora, lounges in the mid-ground among fruits and flowers. The setting is a mystical woodland and the central figure is accompanied by an expressly contemporary flutist and a mischievous Cupid.
The Shadow of Abundance 52″x48″ Oil On Linen
Tyngs’ narratives take unexpected twists and turns, denying the stability the artist provides with her recognizable painted information. Even in the more straight-forward works, a sense of mystery and the unexpected is present in a tangled nest of wild forest trees or a backdrop that delivers a shaky epilogue. In the end, Tyng takes us on an immersive journey to a believable reality that is steeped in the realms of mythology, the subconscious, and the unknown.
Twins and Triplets Oil On Canvas