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December Issue 2005
Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, SC, Offers Works by Lindsay Goodwin
Ella
Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, SC, will present
Historical Elegance - Modern Day Beauty: An Introduction to
the Work of Lindsay Goodwin, from Dec. 2 through Jan. 7, 2006.
How does one portray historical elegance, its
atmosphere, its aromas, and even its assumptions, when often we
are left with only remnants of its culture? How does a perceptive
artist tweak out the details of such luxuries as glimmering crystal
and firelight blazing across a darkened room, when we experience
history through the constraints of museum exhibits and preservation
regulations? Goodwin tackles these challenges across international
lines each time she embarks on a new project. For, even with only
a few years between her current achievements and graduating from
the Academy of Art University, Goodwin has garnered immense praise
for her exquisite renderings of historic interiors.
Goodwin, who was born and raised in Topanga, CA, was already considered
a stand out emerging artist upon her graduation from the Academy
of Art University in San Francisco. After being selected as one
of the top fifteen artists in her graduating class, she presented
a One Woman Show at the Academy of Art University Gallery,
highlighting her burgeoning talent to an even greater number of
art enthusiasts in San Francisco and Northern California. Her
true artistic passion was yet to be fully recognized, even by
Goodwin herself. It took experiencing the decorative heritage
of Paris and its surroundings for Goodwin to reach the full depth
of her sensory observations and artistic translations thereof.
Upon arriving in Paris, Goodwin took in the scents and textures
around her: the sense of descending into the metro, her feet stepping
across voluminous marble galleries of the Louvre, the scent of
the streets as she walked la Rue de Rivoli towards le Jardin des
Tuileries, her eyes searching the shops hidden beneath the arches
of the Place des Vosges. She discovered preserved interiors waiting
for her brush's illumination. Her artistic eye was drawn to dining
halls waiting to be refurbished with impeccably upholstered chairs
and the creamiest of wall panelings. Goodwin envisioned drawing
rooms echoing with conversations centuries past, awaiting a tender
recreation of sensitive coloration and atmosphere vibrantly imbedded
with the ambiance of a bygone era.
Goodwin took in all that was around her on these many soulful walks and architectural discoveries that summer and autumn in Paris. She transfused minute observations into several elements of her artistic process. The artful preservation of Versailles and hotels throughout Paris offered Goodwin not only culturally distinct subject material, but also the visual motivation to evolve in her palette, her perspective, and such artistic nuances as the shadow cast by a glowing lantern lamp. What is most extraordinary about Goodwin's technique is how she creates each historic interior oil painting through her mind's eye. When Goodwin ambled through the hallways and public rooms of countless French homes, palaces, and museums, which now function only in daylight hours and, in most cases, feature only a fraction of their former decorative glory, Goodwin time and again recreated the scene before her in full splendor through her artistry.
With her experiences in Paris now providing endless reference material, Goodwin applies her sharpened visual exposure to American interiors from Boston to California. One finds a pleasurable shelter from modern drama and winter frigidity in Copley Plaza. Here, Goodwin gives the viewer the sanctuary of observing the interplay of darkened wood and warm light, before guests arrive in the banquet hall. Herein lies the uniqueness of Goodwin's remarkable artistry: she accentuates the finest visual statements, be they ever so simple through her alla prima techniques. By quietly adorning the hall in Copley Plaza (oil on canvas, 14" x 18") with a small flourishing bouquet of mauve roses and achieving the most lush application of sun creeping through the drapes of a hidden window, Goodwin recreates a modern sense of luxury in an interior imbedded in events long since past.
To the delight of her growing admirers, Goodwin has many years of artistic achievement before her. In fact, she was recently chosen by Southwest Art as one of their featured "21 under 31", an annual spread which recognizes the most talented of the current young generation of fine artists.
Goodwin will feature her newest oil paintings, a melding of both historic and modern interiors, in this exhibition.
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/722-3660 or at (www.ellarichardson.com).
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