"I Wish I Were the Night: Abstract Paintings by Gilles Combet"
2006-03-28 until 2006-05-06
Newmark Gallery
San Francisco, CA, USA United States of America

Newmark Gallery presents “I Wish I Were the Night”, abstract paintings by Gilles Combet. Opening March 28, 2006 and running through May 6, 2005; there will be a public reception for the artist, Thursday, April 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Working primarily in abstraction, Combet has developed the ability to simultaneously craft and improvise with the same stroke. His work is deeply structured, the palette is controlled and savory while keeping a feeling of mad abandonment of style and form. Yet one could argue that he’s primarily a formalist in his approach to abstraction. This is the wonderful contradiction that effuses his work with energy. These new paintings initially present as quite serious, even as one’s “inner child” delights in a subliminal recognition. There is joyfulness, elation even, reminiscent of Theodor Geisel.

Combet prefers gouache on paper also incorporating graphite and colored pencil. He chooses these materials because they allow him to work quickly and spontaneously, skills he has honed through a parallel discipline of figurative drawing. The paper is then mounted on board, giving the work the substance and dimensionality that paper lacks.

The resulting group of paintings showcases a unique and mature voice.

IMAGE
Gilles Combet
A Cloud Over a Gigantic Lizard's Head
Gouache and Pigments on Paper Mounted on Wood
24' x 30'

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of California

Other Important Exhibitions in San Francisco