Ephraim will be exhibiting his temple and cathedral wax-resist drawings at George Billis Gallery’s new location in Chelsea, from August 31st through October 2nd. There will be a reception for the artist on Thursday, September 2nd, from 6 to 8 p.m.
New York Moments Exhibition
August 31 - October 2, 2010
Reception: Thursday, September 2nd
George Billis Gallery
521 West 26th Street, B1
New York NY 10001
phone: 212 645 2621
e-mail: Gallery@GeorgeBillis.com
www.GeorgeBillis.com
from the press release:
Temples and Cathedrals is a series of new large-scale mixed-media drawings by Ephraim Rubenstein. Executed on paper, these black and white works utilize wax as a resist for subsequent ink washes, which are then further developed in charcoal, conte and nu-pastel.
The works attempt to capture the magisterial quality of these sacred spaces. Whether walking through the ruins of the Doric temples at Paestum or Selinunte, or entering one of the great European Gothic cathedrals, we sense immediately the importance of these structures through their heroic scale, commanding spaces and attention to light.
The drawings of Greek temples not only capture the mesmerizing play of light on the rows of columns, but speak to our fascination with ruins; the evocative quality of things that survive only as fragments and that struggle for their survival right before our eyes.
In the drawings of Gothic cathedrals, the artist wished to realize the richness of both the interiors and exteriors of these massive structures; the rich ornamentation of the facades, with their stained-glass windows and gargoyles, and the breath-taking quality of the soaring interiors, as one first walks in and looks up.
These two subjects are united because not only were the religious beliefs of the Pagans gradually transformed into Christian terms, but the marbles themselves were taken from the temples and recycled for use in the cathedrals.
The human needs and striving remain the same; the stones remain the same.
