The art of John MacConnell emphasizes above all, the realistic portrayal of the world around him, taking pleasure in a likeness, whether it be of a landscape or a friend’s portrait.
Opening Reception: February 3, 6 – 8pm
Exhibition walk-through: February 6, 3pm
Moderated talk-back: February 13, 3pm
Seen as a successor of the great portrait artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and John Singer Sargent, MacConnell's work demonstrates remarkable technical facility, particularly noted for his use of graphite, as if it were paint applied with a brush.
MacConnell's portraits display numerous variations in technique and style. There are quick sketches of full-length nudes done in ink-pen (some with the addition of watercolor) which are full of vitality and render distinctive personalities. There are the delicately nuanced graphite works in which the models seem caressed by soft light filtered through gauzy curtains—a light that is truly palpable, and finally, there are the charcoal renderings of sitters who stare back at the viewer with a compelling intensity.
In John MacConnell; Taking Pleasure in a Likeness, forty of MacConnell's works are brought together for the first time in this inaugural exhibition of the SoHo Project Space.
Above: John MacConnell, Hero 4 (Alfredo), 80”x42”, graphite on Rives BFK, 2015.
Featured Works
Exhibition Views
Installation photography by Da Ping Luo