En Plein Air

Atlanta, Ga. – January 14th, 2016 –R. Alexander presents En Plein Air, the upcoming group exhibition featuring prominent landscape artists. On view will be works by artists including Miguel Peidro, Mario Jung, Brad Robertson, Barrett Edwards, Marco Di Nieri, and Noah Desmond, all of whom invite viewers into their natural surroundings. A term popularized in the mid nineteenth century following the introduction of portable box easels and tubed paints, en plein air, or “in full air” painting has come to espouse the renewed interest in examining the environment. The show will be on display at R. Alexander from February 5 to 29th.

Spanish artist Miguel Peidro shows the dramatic seasonal changes of his European landscape. The blustering snows of the Pyrenees Mountains are balanced by the lush green waterfalls found in the spring. His hyper-realist technique achieves a nearly photographic level in naturalism, transporting viewers across place and time.

Mario Jung presents a wide array of colorful landscapes with his signature use of thickly textured impasto paint. His meticulously developed style showcases his artistic expertise, ranging from playful sunflower fields in Italy, lavishly painted poppies, or the deserts of the American southwest.

In contrast to realistic depictions of landscapes, painter Brad Robertson presents abstract representations of the emotions elicited by experiencing nature. Born and raised in the coastal town of Mobile, Alabama, his earliest inspiration was the landscape—from the indigenous pines and oak trees to the waters of Mobile Bay, and he still credits coastal landscapes as his major source of motivation. Instead of presenting viewers with what he is viewing outside, he presents us with impassioned interpretations of how it feels to actually be in these environments.

Whether depicted realistically or abstractly, these artists invite viewers into their natural settings. The cyclical nature of art inherently lends itself to the constant changes in the world. Just like the sunlight is regenerated with each new day, so too are artists presenting new ways to share their personal landscapes.