Showrooms

Night Blooms - Night Still Life of Flowers in a Vase

Creator: Gregory Kitterle
Offered by: Arco Gallery

Description
Gregory Kitterle’s Night Blooms is a haunting exploration of light and shadow, rendered in fresco on panel. A small vase of ghostly white flowers takes center stage, illuminated by a sharp, raking light that contrasts dramatically with the surrounding darkness. The interplay of stark highlights and enveloping shadows evokes an intimate yet mysterious atmosphere, where the fragile blooms seem to hover above the warm, earthy tones of the tablecloth. Perfect for collectors and interior designers, this painting brings an otherworldly elegance to any space.

Kitterle’s approach in Night Blooms recalls the chiaroscuro techniques of Georges de La Tour, yet his shadows obscure rather than reveal, deepening the sense of mystery. The dark, textured background forms an abyss-like void that contrasts with the delicate vitality of the flowers, creating a poignant tension. The use of fresco, with its tactile surface and imperfections, enhances the aged and timeless quality of the scene, imbuing it with emotional depth.

The title Night Blooms reinforces the theme of ephemerality and fragility, capturing the fleeting beauty of life. The spectral whiteness of the flowers against the dark setting evokes a sense of life suspended between worlds, making this piece a profound meditation on existence. Its striking chiaroscuro and textured elegance make it an exceptional choice for contemporary interiors, blending the timeless allure of classical technique with modern emotional resonance.

Boston-born Gregory Kitterle creates surrealist paintings with long-lost techniques reminiscent of Pompeian frescoes or seventeen-century masters. His compositions are theatrical assemblages of fragments of reality, often with dramatic lighting with no preconceived narrative content, to engage the viewer in the creative act by allowing autonomy of interpretation. The surface engages the eye with the polished lusciousness of traditional fresco, and drawing guides it through the irregularities of its surface. This contradiction between figurative content and painterly rendition creates a timeless environment, as fragments of our contemporary world emerged in an archaeological find. Kitterle wants the viewer to experience his art almost as a journey, as he states: "The influence for my work stems from my interest in how the eye leads and is lead. The majority of how and what one sees is fragmentary and laced with ambiguity".

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Message from Seller:

Arco Gallery, founded in 2013 by Valentina Puccioni, offers a truly personalized art experience in the heart of SoHo, NYC. Located in a historic loft and open by appointment only, the gallery provides exclusive, intimate viewings, away from the mainstream gallery scene. P: 212.226.1207 E: valentina@arcogallery.com