Lyrical Abstractions

Villanova Art Gallery to Present

Lyrical Abstractions

Artist: Marsha Solomon

Opening Date: January 17, 2020

Reception Date: January 17, 2020

Closing Date: March 2, 2020

The Villanova Art Gallery Proudly Presents

Lyrical Abstractions

An Exhibit of “Landscapes of Imagination” by Painter Marsha Solomon

Villanova, PA—Visitors to the Villanova Art Gallery are invited to explore the landscape of painter Marsha Solomon’s imagination, during her exhibit, Lyrical Abstractions, in the Gallery January 17-March 2. The artist’s distinctive technique—layering intense sweeps of acrylic color over dreamy whorls of thinned pigment—results in a collection of paintings that are abstract, yet feel like specific atmospheric spaces. Some are pensive, some invigorating, some brooding, and others joyful: All of them summon the viewer inside, to engage with an environment of the artist’s creation.

Lyrical Abstractions opens Friday, January 17, with a reception to meet the artist on Friday, January 17 from 5-7pm. The exhibit continues to Monday, March 2. The Art Gallery is located in the Connelly Center on the Villanova campus. Convenient on-campus parking is available. More information is available on the gallery’s website at www.artgallery.villanova.edu.

Lyrical Abstractions features 43 paintings, some on canvas and some on paper, in a range of sizes. All of the included pieces are selections from Solomon’s series entitled From Rhythm to Form, which spans 20-plus years of the artist’s creative life. They are based upon and inspired by nature—sky, water, sunsets, planets. Through the years, the series has continually grown and changed. Solomon says, “As the series evolves, I evolve in it. I continue to create different ways of seeing, so to speak.”

Taken individually, Solomon describes the paintings in Lyrical Abstractions as landscapes of her imagination. Taken together, they represent more than two decades of her journey as an artist. But, she says, “Once I put the work in front of the viewer, it’s really their journey that matters. People bring their own experience to my work, and let their imaginations go—and they often share perspectives that never occurred to me as I was painting. I feel that abstract art is very special in that way.”

Marsha Solomon has been living and working as a painter in the New York area for more than 25 years. Before moving to New York, Solomon received a B.A. in Art from the University of Maryland, and did graduate studies in painting at the highly regarded Maryland Institute of Art, and later at the Art Students League in New York. She worked as an art teacher both in the public schools in Baltimore and as a private instructor. Audiences in New York, Long Island’s Hamptons, Washington, DC, and Chicago have enjoyed Solomon’s work, which has also traveled to exhibitions in England, France, Singapore, South Korea, Italy, Japan and elsewhere. This is her seventh solo exhibition. She has been included in publications such as The New York Art Review, NY Arts Magazine and Newsday.

The Villanova University Art Gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. -11 p.m. For extended and weekend hours, and other information, contact the Art Gallery at (610) 519-4612. More information is available on the Gallery's website: www.artgallery.villanova.edu.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.