DONALD MARTINY | gesture as object
APRIL 29 - JUNE 11, 2022
DONALD MARTINY
gesture as object
MEET THE ARTIST
Friday, April 29 | 5 PM - 7:30 PM
Pentimenti Gallery is thrilled to host a solo exhibition of the work of Donald Martiny.
Known for his large-scale paintings that call to mind giant brushstrokes, Donald Martiny isolates and re-contextualizes the movement and materiality of mark-making. In "gesture as object", Martiny presents work that plainly and decisively describes the specific motion at the core of its creation. As well, the works activate the wall as a potential canvas, and enter into a dynamic repartee with the viewer.
Several of the works are rendered in searing monochrome red, yellow, and royal blue, eschewing all extraneous elements and paring the content down to pure form. The surface texture, at times intricate, energetic, delectable, and smooth becomes integral to the story of the work. When additional hues are introduced the pieces, the surface of the work is transformed. The dance of color enunciates the flow of energy within the piece.
The work comprising "gesture as object" blends the distinction between painting and sculptural entity. The pieces are created from pigmented polymer that the artist manipulates with his hand, unmediated by brushes or tools. Martiny works on the floor of his studio, constantly open to different orientations for the final work.
The monumental scale and defining gesture of the paintings make them experiential. The viewer is subsumed into the artwork upon entering its space. The visceral relationship generated between the artwork and the viewer is immediate, but the rewards for looking closely at the interplay of color and gesture are achieved after time is spent in conversation with the work.
Donald Martiny (b. 1953, Schenectady, NY) studied at the School of the Visual Arts, The Art Students League in New York, New York University, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at such museums and institutions as Palazzo Bembo in partnership with the European Cultural Center Italy, Venice, Italy; Scala Contarini del Bovolo, Venice, Italy; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; Casa Del Mantegna Museum, Mantua, Italy; Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC; Falmouth Art Museum, Cornwall, UK; Alden B. Dow Museum, Midland, MI; East Wing Biennial, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK; Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, Raleigh, NC; Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN; International Biennial of Non-Objective Art, Pont de Claix, France; among many other venues. His work is in the permanent collections of Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA; FWMoA, Fort Wayne, IN; Lamborghini Museum, Bologna, Italy.
In 2015 Martiny received a commission from the Durst Organization to create two monumental paintings that are permanently installed in the lobby of One World Trade Center in New York City. That same year he also received the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts Residency Grant.
For all inquiries, please contact us at [email protected] or +1 215.625.9990.
