SILVERMAN and Majestic Theatre Condominium Association present
Shauna Finn: Possession
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 9, 2014, 6–8 p.m.
The Majestic Theatre Condominiums
222 Montgomery Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
201.435.8000
Exhibition Run: July 9, 2014–October 31, 2014
Shauna Finn, Liminal, 2013, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
“Painting is a constant battle between restraint and spontaneity” — Shauna Finn
SILVERMAN AND MAJESTIC THEATRE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION present “Shauna Finn: Possession,” curated by Brendan Carroll. This exhibition includes approximately seven oil paintings on canvas and wood from the previous 18 months. Each canvas depicts a young woman in an elaborate gown set against a flat and nondescript background. The work is an engaging combination of straightforward realism and the fantastic.
This series started out with Finn’s simple desire to paint her wedding dress, an Art Deco-inspired gown embellished in tulle, satin, lace, and beads. “The dress has a lot of razzle-dazzle…it’s all about sparkles, adornment, beauty,” notes the artist. On the surface, the idea to paint her wedding dress may appear sentimental to some viewers. It’s not.
The dress, with its rich array of visual components, provided Finn an ideal opportunity to challenge herself as artist. Finn, by nature, is a direct painter, who, on occasion, is known to slap paint onto canvas with the speed and improvisation of footballer Lionel Messi. This type of headfirst assault would not work. She would need to use a more tactical approach to convey the waiflike material of the dress.
To achieve the level of realism and luminosity the artist desired, she needed to rein in her instinctual drives as a painter. Like the old masters, she uses very thin incandescent paint layers, which do not hide the drawings below. These translucent layers are supplemented by direct, descriptive brush strokes in thicker paint on top. Finn uses these techniques not only to sculpt and model three-dimensional form, but also to create a curious radiance that borders on the ethereal.
“I am very consciously trying to make a brush stroke and leave it, or wipe it off if it doesn’t work. I think the key is having a vision and following it. You have to hold that vision in your mind, and each brush stroke has to be deliberate.”
In Liminal, time seems to stand still in the languid setting. A young woman lies prone on a sofa inside an empty room. She is wearing a sumptuous wedding gown, which includes a luminous veil that is unceremoniously placed beneath her head. In her hands, she clutches a crown to her breast. Oblivious, she does not make eye contact with the viewer as she stares off into the distance.
This painting stirs many questions: Who is this woman? Is she a bride, a princess, a prom queen, or a corpse? Where is she? Is she in a bedroom or a tomb?
“I like that each viewer can play a part in finding meaning. I don’t set out with a narrative or concept in mind.”
Finn received her BFA from California College of Arts (1998) and her MFA from New York Academy of Art (2005). Sotheby’s, Mark Miller Gallery, Kraine Gallery, Sloan Fine Art, and The Getty Center, among others venues, have shown her paintings in group exhibitions. She has been the recipient of numerous residencies, including Eden Rock, St. Barthelemy, French West Indies and the Prince of Wales Foundation in Château de Balleroy, Normandy, France. She is from Southern California. She lives and works in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The exhibition will be on view at Majestic Theatre Condominium Associationthrough October 31, 2014. For further information, please visit us at SILVERMAN or call number (201) 435-8000.
“Shauna Finn: Possession ″ is the twentieth exhibition that Brendan Carroll will organize for SILVERMAN.
For additional information on the artist, go here: shaunafinn.com
SILVERMAN has presented the works of Melanie Vote, Paul Lempa, Fanny Allié, Michael Meadors, John A. Patterson, Charlotte Becket, Roger Sayre, Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, Tom McGlynn, Margaret Murphy, Valeri Larko, Tenesh Webber, Glenn Garver, Jennifer Krause Chapeau, Michelle Doll, Tim Heins, Megan Maloy, Laurie Riccadonna, Thomas John Carlson, Tim Daly, Ann Flaherty, Scott Taylor, Jason Seder, Sara Wolfe, Beth Gilfilen, Andrzej Lech, Hiroshi Kumagai, Tom McGlynn, Victoria Calabro, Asha Ganpat, Darren Jones, Ryan Roa,Laura Napier, Risa Puno, Nyugen E. Smith, Amanda Thackray, and Kai Vierstra.
Brendan Carroll 