Exhibition - Susan Greenstein: 'In Light of Everything'

440 Gallery is proud to present In Light of Everything, a solo exhibition of watercolors by Susan Greenstein. This collection encourages viewers to see another facet of Greenstein’s work. Deceptively simple compositions compel us to accept light and shadow as the subject, not as the supporting cast. With this approach, Greenstein has developed a new, yet familiar, voice. This is her eighth solo show at the gallery for Greenstein.

Greenstein finds herself captivated by how light shapes the way we see: it defines form, sets mood, and determines what is visible or hidden. Just as compelling are the shadows it leaves behind-shifting, collapsing, and reconfiguring the familiar into the unexpected. Light and shadow are the protagonists. Sharp lines may define a shadow, while a cast light may have a soft, caressing edge. Spaces within the painting become abstract, flattening into what is light and what is not. In each painting, Greenstein captures, as a camera might, a specific moment- light and shadow marking ephemeral time.

Shadows in Cádiz is an excellent example of this recontextualization. We first see a cactus in the corner, quietly sitting in its pot, below a decorative plate. But when we look between the plate and the cactus, the space’s ridged shape is defined by light, becoming its own object. The lacy shadow of the cactus delicately dominates the space, the new soloist of the watercolor. Caught in time, the two forms- traditionally seen as a background of a still life-become abstract, flattened, creating an almost cubist rendition of space.

Greenstein says, “Light is at the center of my work-both subject and storyteller. I’ve become interested in how light can be anything from the main character to dissolving into abstraction. Just as important, I am fascinated by the shadows cast in its wake-shadows that collapse and reconfigure familiar shapes into new compositions.”

Susan Greenstein is a graduate of Pratt Institute and Queens College and has attended programs at MassArt New England, Bennington College and Maine College of Art. Her work can be found in private collections across the U.S., and she has exhibited extensively in New York City, New Hampshire and the Delaware Art Museum. She is a member-artist of 440 Gallery and directs the Young Artist program at the gallery. As an art educator, she has influenced and mentored many young artists at the Brooklyn Friends School and Studio in a School. She currently teaches adults at The Art Annex, Winslow Art Center and Washburn Studios. Greenstein lives and works in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn.