REEVE SCHLEY SEVEN SUMMERS DECEMBER 14, 2017 - JANUARY 27, 2018
REEVE SCHLEY: SEVEN SUMMERS Reeve Schley s recent body of work provides a unique insight into the artist s personal world as well as his remarkable command of both the oil and watercolor mediums. Painting with great assurance on a large scale, Schley has once again returned to his signature theme of figures in a landscape depicted in a manner that sophistically combines recognizable subjects with a style that at times borders on abstraction. By selecting Seven Summers as the title for this group of pictures, Schley evocatively captures the relaxed vacation mood and leisure activities of these scenic views of Martha s Vineyard in Massachusetts and Murray Bay (La Malbaie) in the Province of Quebec, Canada, where the Schley family has summered for decades. The beaches of Martha s Vineyard are the setting for one of the artist s ongoing preoccupations: bathers reclining, standing and seated. These figures are often shown in difficult poses that create a fascinating interplay of balanced horizontals and verticals. Among this group, Annika with Surfboard is noteworthy as the form is radically foreshortened; a single green line defines the body; and large areas of the canvas are intentionally left bare. Schley acknowledges that his watercolor technique has influenced his approach to oil painting. The watercolor of Reeve s grandson in a playful and acrobatic position provides a useful comparison to Annika with Surfboard as both pictures depict a single figure in a complicated pose surrounded by a blank background. By reducing these works to their essentials, Schley encourages, even requires, viewers to participate in the artistic process by using their imaginations to complete the compositions and to activate the empty spaces. For these summer scenes, Schley favors warm palettes evidenced in the brilliant yellow background of Striped Towel and Beach Figures and the medley of muted mauve brushstrokes surrounding the bathers in Two Bathers Reading. The harmonious colors of Wind and Wave (Umbrella) enhance its mood of serenity, which is further underscored by the two companions sitting quietly side by side in a timeless landscape. This work brings to mind Schley s ongoing appreciation for the art of Milton Avery, who like Schley created convivial beach scenes and landscapes composed of large areas of stunning, lyrical colors. In August, the Schleys leave the Vineyard for the rocky shores of Murray Bay pictured in Picnic with Georgie in Red, where the figures appear totally immersed in a sun-drenched landscape. Reeve s wife, Georgie, is the focal point of the composition as well as its most well-defined and brightly colored figure. The picnic is a popular subject in Western painting, which underscores the harmony of man and nature. Schley, who studied art history at Yale University, fully understands the significance of this theme. Indeed, his pictures highlight the pleasures of good company, warm weather and the beauty of bright blue skies and pristine shorelines. Throughout his extensive career, Schley s family has been the inspiration for many of his best works as evidenced in his striking portrait of Georgie, who has acted as model and muse during their fifty-year marriage. In this homage to his wife, Georgie s serene, but imposing presence together with Schley s lyrical palette of harmonious greens, browns and purples creates a mood of contentment. While the majority of works in Seven Summers emphasize fleeting moments of leisure and relaxation, this monumental portrait has a sense of permanence as well as Reeve and Georgie s obvious pleasure in the creative process itself. Holly Pyne Connor, Ph.D. Curator Emerita Newark Museum 1
8 Green Reflections, 2016, oil on canvas, 60 x 42 inches
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10 Picnic with Georgie in Red, 2015, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
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16 Tall Figure at the Trou, 2016, watercolor on paper, 30.5 x 22.5 inches
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14 Summer Reading, 2011-2013, oil on canvas, 66 x 46 inches
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2 Annika with Surfboard, 2012, oil on canvas, 60 x 46 inches
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12 Striped Towel with Beach Figures, 2017, oil on canvas, 60 x 46 inches
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18 Two Bathers Reading, 2014, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
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20 Wind and Wave (Umbrella), 2014, oil on canvas, 46 x 60 inches
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4 Boy with Striped Socks, 2017, watercolor on paper, 30 x 22.5 inches
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6 Georgie with Deck Chairs and Dachshund, 2013-2015, oil on canvas, 66 x 46 inches
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