Abdelkhalek Idmalk
The Portal of Tranquility
October 2 - October 23, 2009
Reception:
Thursday October 8, 2009 6-8 PM
Press Release
Moroccan, New York-based painter Abdel Idmalk creates images whose strength emerges from the gentleness of his style. Moving between watercolor and oil paints as he does, it’s often difficult for a viewer to tell the two apart, as Idmalk’s style of application and color palette are so bright, smooth, sun-splashed and vibrant. His work focuses on rural scenes and still lifes, with recent canvases baring traces of the Old Masters he studied at the Metropolitan Museum, while the incredible, razor-sharp crispness of each image, the tactile quality of the light, evoke the aesthetic sensibilities of his sunny hometown south of Marrakech.
This blending of influences and styles gives Idmalk’s paintings an exciting edge, evoking the impression of glimpsing snapshots of an entirely new, but not unfamiliar world. Every surface seems pristine and unscathed, even the worn hulls of romantic boats beam with an uncanny new vigor. This intense feeling of pictorial purity pushes Idmalk’s compositions past realism into a kind of sparkling impressionism that is completely mesmerizing.
Artist Statement
I am from Morocco, and artists and recollections of my home country play an important role in influencing my art, as does nature. I do not tie myself to one style, because I believe that each artist is a student in himself, and has the responsibility to try everything he can to express what he means. My art explores both very personal subjects and more general topics, often through the use of a new medium and its possibilities. I use art to say more than I can with words, and to look beyond what is seen to illuminate the hidden beauty within.
Invitation to the exhibition
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Artists in this exhibition
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