January, 2005
My first taste of
Now, as then, Gallego transforms the ordinary into the ethereal and
mysterious. His work is a statement about what is before us and yet
unseen. He depicts objects that, at first glance, seem mundane, left
behind, even forgotten. So why do I feel such palpable wonderment?
I don't know; maybe it's because his obsessive observation brings to the
surface the beauty of the ordinary, perhaps he's consumed with perceiving and
revealing all the nuances to be discovered in inanimate objects. Because
of these beautiful obsessions, he is able to extract from life a beauty and
soul where we once saw none. Yes, I think the inner being of his
subjects' character is made clear through his gentle and sure eye, touch
and placement.
Many times, his paintings and drawings create an almost enchanting atmosphere
by which we are pulled into their world. As we meditate upon his colors,
tones and surfaces, this world of the ordinary, mundane and forgotten becomes
palpable. That's why Gallego has the power to makes us see many things
for the first time.
In Egg and Green Bowl,
2004, we are mesmerized by the shimmering reflective hues in their curving,
graceful and never-ending orbit. Gallego's pencil on paper captures the
poetry as well as the starkness of the geometrical space in Studio Windows,
1998-2002. Our eye and mind dance as we explore every texture, shape and
tone. In the painting Windows, 2000-2002,
mysterious visions are suggested as the stacked, geometric glass transmits
various rays of light. Human character and life that once was is apparent
in what remains in Medicine Chest, Drop Cloth, Shirt and Door and Bag of Plaster.
Each has its own personality and feelings which will not be forgotten.
This exhibition of paintings and drawings is major in both execution and
substance. Gallego offers us what is here and now as well as what was
without sentiment. His work is a journey in seeing.
Townsend Wolfe
Retired Director and
painting contemporary art realism
new york realist painters
