14 Feb 2019

Xico Greenwald: Recent Still Lifes

Painting Center

Reviewed by Alexis Arkus-Duntov

Xico Greenwald's "Recent Still Lifes" at The Painting Center features a collection of new works celebrating the beauty of everyday items. Teapots, vases, and egg cups are rendered in soft, subtle hues that recall Roman wall painting.

The more time one spends looking at these paintings, realistic but not hyperrealistic, careful but not precious, the greater the rewards. There is a universe in the detail with which Greenwald renders the curve of an egg, or the impression of a shadow on the inside of a spoon (Vase, 2, 2018). He gives tremendous attention to the way light hits metal in Copper Pot, Box (2018-19) and changes across its surface.

The thoughtful treatment of negative space becomes an event unto itself. But step back and take in the entirety of the image, and such details resolve into a cohesive, pleasing whole. There is unmistakable movement and vitality in Greenwald's still lifes, and unmistakable joy in looking at them.