at Jennifer Norback Fine Art
Lower Level, 217 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654, USA.
Opening : 7 April 2017 from 5pm
Chicago is the quintessential American city - the vibrant urban center rising vertically above the endless flat plains of the Midwest. It is the Midwestern hub of American and foreign migration since the 19th century, a double faceted city, tough yet generous, rough yet elegant, plain-spoken but also supremely sophisticated with some of the finest art, music and architecture in the United States.
The present exhibition is a homage to Chicago’s multiple facets by three artists of very diverse origins :
Michael Goro is a Russian-Israeli and long time resident of Chicago, Jorge Rodriguez de Rivera is a Spaniard and resident of Paris and Nicola Villa is an Italian from Lombardy based in Genoa.
Michael Goro - Chicago Blues 2014 Etching
In his paintings and prints Goro emphasizes the complex geometry and toughness of typical Chicago streets in the Loop and River North. One of his favorite motifs are the ever-present rails and girders of the El, a consecrated icon of Chicago and one that always fascinates European visitors. They are a historical marker and represent both the fragility and resilience of the city.
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Jorge Rodriguez de Rivera - The Souvenir Seller 2016 Collage on photography
Rodriguez de Rivera’s collages provide a joyous visitor’s vision of the city’s streets, museums and parks. His works are peopled by elegant figures and their pets all cut-outs from Victorian picture books. In his collages the city takes on the playful and dream-like quality of an imaginary travel diary. Its toughness and masculine qualities are gently mocked by the exotic visitors who replace banal passers-by with entertaining artistic and historical characters, like genteel invaders from an imaginary past.
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Nicola Villa - ...quors 2017 Watercolor on paper
In his watercolors Nicola Villa captures the energy of Chicago streets. Bright colors and sharply lettered street signs emphasize the American flavor of the city and the boldness of its visual impact. Graphic silhouettes of water towers and old bar neon signs also function as icons of the 1930’s and 1960’s, nostalgic remnants of the city’s past in the ever shifting flux of the present.
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Chicago by Michael Goro :
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Chicago by Jorge Rodriguez de Rivera :
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Chicago by Nicola Villa :
