Kicking off the New Year, The Knapp Gallery is excited to present the latest oil paintings by “New Philadelphia School” artists Adam Lee Farrell and R. Michael Walsh. Reinterpreting and reinventing classic themes and new visions, this exhibition highlights the creative minds and playful edges of both painters.
Adam Lee Farrell paints surreal themes juxtaposing the comical with the moderately absurd. Dinosaurs, mummies and robots inhabit his upside-down and energetic world creating metaphors for extinction crossed with modern technology. Provocative and open, his canvases question the relationship of figures to landscape and suggest the role of the modern individual within a complicated, contemporary framework.
Conversely fanciful and poetic, the works of R. Michael Walsh function as present-day allegory. Haunting and alluring, Walsh’s updated still lives and scenes contain spiritual symbols, which invoke an idyllic yet challenging world. Walsh’s paintings are jarring to the viewer, and not just complete escapist fantasy. By providing layered symbols within his compositions, Walsh hopes to empower the viewer to reflect and to re-imagine the rigors and challenges of contemporary society.
While embodying two different facets of existing culture and artistic styles, both Farrell and Walsh wish for their audience to re-envision the world that surrounds them.
Quickly established as one of Philadelphia’s leading contemporary fine art galleries, The Knapp Gallery exhibits only the most talented local and international artists. Providing a unique and thought-provoking atmosphere to view and discuss the changing face of contemporary art, our gallery creates awareness in the community about the importance of collecting art, supporting local artists, and encouraging new collectors. We invite you to experience the scope of Philadelphia’s most dynamic contemporary fine art gallery.