When I look at Susan Smolensky’s oil paintings I hear horses splattering brush, I feel the jocks’ precariousness as they go airborne. Grass flies and a horse grimaces momentarily as it’s snagged in the mouth. There’s not a strip horse in the lot, but the artist’s exaggerations add to the dynamics of the instant.
Susan Smolensky says, “I am interested in imaginatively expressing a reality that exists outside of ordinary perception. With paintbrush and canvas, with oil paint and a sense of unrestrained energy, I hope to evoke a sense of wonder and enchantment that transcends the subject and goes beyond the limit of human senses. My goal is to paint representations of nature that are harmonious and beautiful and, simultaneously, to engage the viewer in a reality that is beyond perceptual appearances and expectations.
“I have always been inspired by horse and rider and the relationship between the power of the magnificent beast and the intellect of the rider. In my Steeplechase Series I have drawn upon this inspiration to paint dramatic, rhythmic renderings of an instant in time, in space and in emotional gravity. My desire is to move beyond the complexity of the subject alone and to advance toward a representation of that which is not perceived by the senses but is intellectually known. In my artistic eye, I am conceiving my subject not only as the harmony of horse and rider but as recognition of their connection to the intricately woven unseen forces of time and space.”
Smolensky is represented by the Chisholm Gallery in Millbrook, New York. Jeanne Chisholm co-founded the gallery (which first opened at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club) with her late husband Hugh Jeremy Chisholm, businessman, polo player, and a founder of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame.
December 14, 2010
Click any photo below to start a slideshow.
{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=45|limitstart=0|limitcount=0}