Show Preview | Browne, Laguë & Nagy

Fredericksburg, TX
InSight Gallery, February 5-23

Mark Laguë, New York City Downpour, oil, 18 x 30.

This story was featured in the February 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

This month InSight Gallery has gathered three international artists—Tibor Nagy, Jeremy Browne, and Mark Laguë—to present a spectrum of perspectives on contemporary landscapes. Opening with an artists’ reception on Friday, February 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., the show balances stillness with energy and urban scenes with rural views.

“Tibor captures European landscapes with a loose style that’s quite impressionistic,” says gallery owner Elizabeth Harris. “Jeremy, as a contrast, is incredibly stylized and realistic, with clean lines. It’s traditional representational art with a slight contemporary lilt. Mark’s cityscapes have energy to them. All three of them are handling landscapes in remarkably different ways—each captures a different feeling and energy.”

All three artists are relatively new additions to the gallery’s stable of artists and have received a warm welcome from collectors. “There’s a freshness to all of their works and their perspectives that not just seasoned patrons are attracted to, but also young buyers who are just starting their collections,” Harris says. Collectors can expect four to eight new works from each painter for the exhibition.

Tibor Nagy, Under the Bridge, oil, 20 x 32.

Nagy presents a combination of landscapes and cityscapes inspired by his native Slovakia, where he still makes his home today. “It was their overall mood, which ended up being manifested with a limited color palette,” Nagy says of his inspirations. “I constantly experiment, trying to find new ways of visual expression. In this new collection of paintings, it will be possible to see partially different approaches and techniques, especially in terms of paint application and the overall execution.”

While European cities inspire Nagy, the great American cities of New York and San Francisco—as well as his Montreal home—have long inspired Canadian painter Mark Laguë. “I find there’s more of a challenge of going back to the same subject,” he says. In his vibrant urban scenes, the viewer can practically hear the horns of cabs honking and feel the rain pattering against the asphalt streets. Although his work is more representational than Nagy’s, Laguë leans away from realistic depictions. “I’m delving more and more into abstraction. For me, the most exciting thing is to push off into abstraction within the city, where manmade shapes are coupled with organic shapes,” he says.

Jeremy Browne, Somewhere in the Night, acrylic, 30 x 36.

The serene views of Jeremy Browne mark the far end of the spectrum from Nagy. Frequently drawn to rural scenes with structures, Browne is introducing a few pieces with red barns—common subjects in the United States, though not in Browne’s Canadian homeland. The bold color is a departure for Browne, who typically relies on a more limited palette. Browne also introduces a new subject matter: lighthouses. “It’s a bit of a growth push for me, to do new themes,” he says of the structures.

Summing up the artists’ appeal, Harris points to their ability to transport the viewer. “They evoke a visceral response in me,” she says. “Each one takes you to a place in his own kind of way.” —Ashley M. Biggers

contact information
830.997.9920
www.insightgallery.com

Featured in the February 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.