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For Immediate Release:

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Paris Koh Fine Arts (201 Bridge Plaza N. Suite 1, Fort Lee, NJ) is proud to present the recent paintings of Mary Hrbacek:  Vanishing, an exhibition that will run from May 1st through May 27th, 2023 with an opening reception on May 4th from 6-8 PM.

 

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Mary Hrbacek’s new series of paintings is inspired by the anthropomorphic trees, as many of you may know, that she discovered while traveling in Crete and in Naxos, Greece. There she encountered many monumental human-like trees struggling to grow in restricted, sheltered indoor areas.  Hrbacek diligently observes the trees she draws and paints; when she once senses a tree is suffering; she looks up to find the broken branches of a wounded tree seeping blood-like runny resin. In another instance, Hrbacek is startled by a male-like tree-trunk, distinguished by an opening that reveals the likenesses of nose and eye sockets within a perceivable skull form. Just for a moment, when seeing that same tree, she glimpses a standing man inside it, that quickly disappears. Hrbacek has no doubt that this is a sacred tree. Shortly after, the tree is cut down to make room for parking. This incident exemplifies the show’s theme, which is the vanishing of the world’s trees to make space for urban development.

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Gradually the human physique and tree limbs merged in her psyche, fusing human and tree anatomy into a merged essence. The hybrid paintings explore the similarities between human anatomical features and tree forms, to produce semi-abstract amalgams. She employs traditional painting techniques to give her art convincing authority, which makes it believable without becoming academic. The forms emerge in a poetic context of shifting identities, becoming entwined figures with subtle faces which spark striking meanings that segue from the border of imagination and belief, to the ultimate link between mankind and nature. These unfathomable botanical shapes emerge through the drawing process, into coherent entities that communicate the depth and meaning of the shared natural origins of all organic systems.

 

Hrbacek received a BS from University of Dayton and an MS from Adelphi University, NY.  She studied art at the San Francisco Art Institute with Mary Lovelace O'Neal, Head of the Art Dept. at UC Berkley, the Art Students League of NY and The New York Academy of Art. Hrbacek has exhibited in the US and Internationally in China, Korea, Italy, Greece, and Canada at prestigious galleries and museums. Hrbacek is also an artist critic and a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) based in NYC. She writes for Whitehot Magazine, Artes Magazine, Cuture Catch, and New York Art Beat.

 

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See for the review by Thalia Vrachopoulos

https://www.tusslemagazine.com/hrbaceck

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

 

Paris Koh Fine Arts, 201 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 1, Fort Lee, NJ 07024

pariskohfinearts@gmail.com   201 724 7077   pariskohfinearts.com

 

Gallery Hours:

Wed - Sat: 11 am – 6 pm   /   Mon, Tue - by appointment only   /   Sun: Closed

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