The Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
October 22-November 4
Z.S. Liang, The Spirit of the Plains, oil, 16 x 20.
When guests gather at The Legacy Gallery on the evening of Saturday, October 22, for the debut of a show titled Vision—Spirit—Legacy, they’ll have the rare opportunity to admire sizable bodies of new works by two of today’s most acclaimed artists specializing in western subjects: Z.S. Liang, renowned for his historically accurate scenes of Native American life, and Kyle Polzin, whose impeccably rendered still lifes featuring cowboy and Indian artifacts and memorabilia achieve an almost trompe l’oeil depth and clarity. With demand high for works by both artists, paintings are sold in a drawing, and some may be auctioned. Both artists plan to attend the opening.
For two decades now, Liang—who initially trained in his native China, earned a Master of Fine Arts at Boston University, and now works surrounded by an extensive collection of artifacts in his home studio outside of Los Angeles—has specialized in portraying tribal scenes with uncanny faithfulness. “I think setting a story, small or large, is very important for a painting,” he says. “I’ve read a lot about Indians, and searched museums and books, and talked to many people.”
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- Z.S. Liang, The Warning Sign, oil, 46 x 34.
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- Z.S. Liang, Where the Rivers Begin, oil, 48 x 36.
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- Z.S. Liang, Cheyenne Scout, oil, 28 x 20.
Such devotion to truthful representation radiates from each of his 15 paintings in the show, including intimate works like THE SPIRIT OF THE PLAINS, a portrait of a distinguished chief rendered in a range of harmonious colors, as well as broader pieces such as THE WARNING SIGN, a portentous scene of Blackfeet warriors coming upon a shield warning them not to enter Crow hunting grounds upon penalty of death.
Polzin’s seven paintings in the show invite viewers to imagine their own stories based on items that the Texas-based artist seeks out in antiques shops or meticulously fashions himself, then painstakingly arranges and lights to create moody, beguiling scenes. Fresh from winning the Purchase Award this past June at the Prix de West Invitational in Oklahoma City, Polzin finds it “pretty amazing to be in a show with Liang, an artist I’ve always admired. I want to bring works of comparable quality.”
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- Kyle Polzin, Warrior’s Dream, oil, 38 x 38.
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- Kyle Polzin, Bronc Rider, oil, 27 x 36.
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- Z.S. Liang, Beating the Iron Horse, oil, 38 x 50.
There’s no doubt they will be, with evocative paintings like WARRIOR’S DREAM, which depicts a saddle, blanket, and antique rifle against a backdrop of pieces recalling the warrior’s lifetime exploits. BRONC RIDER is inspired by its background photograph of a saddle bronc ride, which is surrounded by the cowboy’s competitor number, spurs, and tasseled chaps, and a braided sisal riding rope so intricately textured that “it was like painting a fuzzy pretzel,” says Polzin. “It’s exciting for me to try to duplicate the feel of the actual items.”
For gallery-goers, excitement comes from the rare chance to see so many paintings by these two master painters together at the same time. “Their visual and artistic styles are extremely different,” notes Haley Delaunais, marketing manager at The Legacy Gallery. “But both artists have an innate ability to tell a story through their paint that emphasizes the history of the West.” —Norman Kolpas
contact information
480.945.1113
www.legacygallery.com
This story appeared in the October/November 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.