20 Feb Save The Date: Bending the Lines
Laura Rathe Fine Art announces the exhibition Bending The Lines, featuring new works by Gil Bruvel with an opening reception on March 21st 5-8 PM at 1700 Post Oak Blvd. Gil Bruvel subtly encompasses different concepts, primarily expressing a sublime, mundane subject—Nature. Yet, Bruvel’s technical skills and knowledge of colors reveal the magic that lies in the ordinary. Light, airy, and silently captivating, these entirely abstract works, bring the subject matter back into a lighthearted innocence.
Wood. Natural. Simple. Returning to the more traditional mediums of craftsmanship, Gil Bruvel honors this utilitarian material by transforming it into abstract geometric sculptures. Previously focusing on stainless steel, Bruvel’s new works will explore wood as a medium in expressing natural phenomenon. This series provides a space for a new expression and experience by opening up its structural dimensions to dynamic movement and energy through a playful consideration of color. An integral part of this collection is the combination of tones in varying hues alongside a complimentary juxtaposition of colors that add to the scenic drama of each piece. Faithful to the material he works in, Bruvel’s new series holds a primal aesthetic and natural recollection of the innocence of simplicity. Whether entranced in a cloudscape or captivated with the form of a flower, these sublime subjects are felt through a translation of color. Bruvel’s veils of paint reveal a vision of whimsical structures that are thresholds into a realm of magical realism. A brightly colored series of edged structures runs throughout Bruvel’s largely abstract compositions, rows of blocks making up zigzag shapes and geometric patterns add to the depth and quality of the pieces. The colors bleed into one another, much like the surface of a tree, adding to its 3-dimensional composition.
Bruvel’s labor demonstrates his reverence for wood, a material that retains its identity of living matter. Its liveliness is represented by the natural phenomenon it embodies, allowing the viewer to experience a raincloud or a flower in a new cubic plane. Bruvel explores complementary colored interaction within the nestled cubes, that form tightly packed structures springing forth in optical play. These wooden sculptures, with cut, hard edges, retain the softness and suppleness of its natural origin. This effect is produced by the choices and blending of colors that create a depiction of movement and light. The tension and intensity created through a mixture of certain colors, such as yellow and blue, provide enough friction to create movement. The fluidity of each piece is woven by the use of color theory, bringing a poetic flow to this ordinary material.
Bruvel comes from a background with the appropriate practice and knowledge of woodworking. Originally from France, his creative journey as an artist began at age 9 experimenting with art alongside his father, a cabinetmaker. Later, an apprenticeship in an art restoration workshop provided an excellent art history education with intimate, hands-on insight into techniques of the Old Masters as well as a fluency in 20th-century art. Bruvel has since combined his background and skills alongside his influence for recurring patterns and motifs to develop his multidisciplinary work.
Gil Bruvel has been exhibiting his work since 1974 in various places around the world and including France, Australia, Monaco, England, Denmark, The Netherlands, Hungary, Japan, Singapore, New York, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Hawaii. His work has received many awards and his collectors span the globe.
