Michael Whelan at infra:REAL - The Art of Imaginative Realism
Michael Whelan showing his latest painting HARBINGER (2015) at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC. Photo courtesy of Mark Shallcross.
Head over to Flickr for more photos from the opening.
HARBINGER (2015) by Michael Whelan
Acrylic on Linen - 36" x 54"
The essential composition of HARBINGER came to me many years ago, and it has always centered on the wasp nest surrounding a stoplight—an omen of something running out of control, a slippage into chaos.
My initial inspiration, I believe, grew out of concern for the destabilizing and immense effects of global climate change, a sense of nature out of control and giving birth to unnatural and cataclysmic phenomena. I realize that it is not the happiest of subjects to dedicate a painting to, but the idea just wouldn’t let me go without painting it.
It remains to be seen whether the catharsis of this painting will suffice or if I will have to revisit the idea again in the near future.
View this painting at infra:REAL - The Art of Imaginative Realism on display at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC from August 5-22, 2015.
