The Art League of Long Island’s juried exhibition, “A Quotidian Life: Finding Beauty in the Ordinary,” opens in their Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery on Saturday, July 15.
Borrowing from the concept of “genre painting,” epitomized by Edward Hopper’s 1942 painting, “Nighthawks,” of patrons seated in a diner, visual artists from Suffolk, Nassau, Brooklyn, and Queens were asked to submit two- or three-dimensional works addressing beauty in the ordinary or commonplace.
In addition to the human dynamic, the theme invited artists to also consider the beauty that may be found in the quality of light or color, or the surprise of a repeated form.
Submitted works took the forms of abstract art or of realism, such as that depicted in Hopper’s iconic painting.
The exhibit will run through August 5, with the opening reception and awards presentation taking place on July 16 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Exhibition juror Franklin Hill Perrell selected the artwork to be exhibited and the awards for Best Realism and Best Abstract categories.
A “juror talk” will take place in the gallery on Thursday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m., where Perrell will discuss his selections.
Perrell is a well-known art historian, curator, and writer.
His career at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor has spanned more than twenty years, culminating in his achieving the title of Chief Curator.
There, he curated over fifty major exhibitions and numerous contemporary shows, including Miro & Calder, Chagall, Picasso, School of Paris, American Realism, Between the Wars, Pop & Op, and Surrealism.
Recent curatorial activities include Feast for the Eyes (with art by Lichtenstein, Warhol, Oldenburg and Wesselmann), The Garden Party (with art by Chagall, Rivers, Hockney and Tiffany) and Long Island Collects (with art by Degas, Monet, Miro, Renoir and Matisse) at the Nassau County Museum of Art, as well as a retrospective of Richard Gachot’s America at the Heckscher Museum in Huntington.
In 2013, Perrell co-founded Artful Circle (www.artfulcircle.com) with business partner Debbie Wells, providing clients in the art community with museum services including curatorial, catalogue writing and design production, public programming, lectures and gallery visits.
The Art League of Long Island is located at 107 East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills.
The gallery is open to the public, free of charge, on Monday through Thursday, a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information about the upcoming exhibit, visit www.artleagueli.org or call 631-462-5400.
