To the untrained eye, Neal Walsh's creations may seem like no more than large, single-colored panels of oil paint over layers of adhesive tape. Yet, a closer look at his austere, abstract installations yields insight that goes, literally, beneath the surface.
On exhibition at Gallery Agniel on North Main Street until Nov. 5, Walsh's creations are the product of a year of time-consuming, labor-intensive work. Torn pages from discarded books, debris from his studio floor, dry pigments, oil paint and adhesives are just some of the materials that Walsh uses to "build" his paintings.
Walsh said he does not have an exact end product in mind when he works on a piece. He bases each painting loosely on universal contraries such as order and chaos, growth and decay, chance and control.
By layering his materials and media, Walsh gives each piece a textured effect that creates a myriad of content beneath the outermost surface. Every time a new layer is created, its surface is "scratched, torn, tattered, burned and painted again and again, until a scarred whole emerges," Walsh wrote in his artist's statement for the exhibition.
Walsh also employs grids to impose a geometric form on his paintings. Each additional surface brings an interactive complexity to the piece, aiming to "question the rigidity" of the framework, Walsh explained. Citing ancient Greek writers, such as Homer, as some of his main inspirations, Walsh uses history as a metaphor for his art. Walsh describes history as "a non-linear continuum that humans belong to" - a view that makes the significance of Walsh's conceptual methods more clear.
His pieces, "Black Painting #1" and "Black Painting #2," are canvases covered with masking tape that have been deliberately scorched to reveal splashes of green paint underneath - a green pasture blazed to the ground by soldiers - a surprisingly stirring allegory of the Homeric wars. "All That Remains" is a massive installation aptly swathed in rust-colored paint. The masking tape on the surface is melted to form little crevices all over the piece that expose the layers underneath.
Walsh described his engagement with his work as a "conversation, an active destruction and creation" that allows each piece to evolve with time. He constantly reworks each piece over and over again, some even over the span of years, until he is satisfied.
David Ellis, a photographer who attended a reception at the gallery Friday, expressed his admiration for the raw sophistication of Walsh's work: "The emotional content of his work is amazing," Ellis said. "I love the use of different elements and the deliberateness of his method."
Gallery owner Sara Agniel '97 described Walsh's work as abstract and complicated. "Neal's work is thoroughly engaging in a way that is not facile," she said. "His pieces stand the test of living with them."
It is precisely this complexity that makes Walsh's art so enduring. With a little reflection, even the untrained eye could come to appreciate his bold technique. Walsh's work is not only visually but intellectually stimulating because of his approach. Considering the evolution of his work from purposeful action to unplanned end makes viewing his artwork a refreshing, satisfying experience.
Gallery Agniel is located at 120 North Main St. and is opened Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
