Fri, Apr. 20, 2012
Cityscapes
Damon Kowarsky, an Australian artist having his first U.S. solo show at Twelve Gates Gallery, appears to have learned from Americans while remaining firmly within the European tradition. Those of his drawings seen here are academic in the fullest sense, the references they make accompanied by a high degree of technical control.In his city views of scattered locations - in Australia, the United States, the Middle East, South Asia - his use of a hard overall drawn line to structure his work is responsive to American art.
In urban views done with etching and aquatint from copper plates, he's often influenced by the dominant tonality of a city - the red sandstone of Pakistan and India, the bluestone of his native Melbourne, or Sydney's limestone. In some of these, he achieves tonal darkness by leaving the plate in the acid solution for a longer time.
Some of his best results are seen in his striking 3-D image Melbourne and a couple of New York City scenes, in which he at times favors a complex layering of multiple techniques.
Twelve Gates Gallery, 51 N. Second St. To April 28. Wed-Sat 11-5. 215-253-8578.