Coincidences
Featuring Patrick Pietropoli
23 March–21 April 2019
HUGO GALERIE is pleased to present Coincidences , a solo exhibition featuring Patrick Pietropoli and his
vision of when architecture and the figure collide. This show presents an entirely new body of work—one that
takes the typical subject matter of the vedutisti and transforms it.
Vedutisti is an Italian word for painters whose canvases are as vast as they are intricate; these artists produce
large works of sweeping vistas without sacrificing a single detail. Whether bustling cityscapes or ceremonial
interiors, their scenes always depict architecture and figures with astonishing accuracy. Pietropoli is
internationally recognized for his exceptional skill among contemporary vedutisti painters. With this collection,
he gives a surrealistic spin to the historic genre.
Inspired as ever by what he describes as “the entanglement of complex shapes,” Pietropoli here eschews the
usual formula of architecture and the figure to give us architecture within the figure. He even plays with the very
concept of architecture—sometimes referring to what we might expect, such as a coffered ceiling or French
facade; occasionally evoking the distinct framework of modern furniture; and other times referencing the
structure of art history itself, inserting famous paintings and archetypes into his precise silhouettes. Like looking
through a stereoscope, the silhouettes are cut-out windows into another dimension.
Discussing this compelling body of work, Pietropoli offered a quotation by Isidore Ducasse, a writer celebrated
by the surrealists: “…beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissection table of a sewing machine and an
umbrella.” This aphorism captures the essence of his new collection—an esoteric collage of images ripe with
wit and talent. Rather than burden his paintings with prefabricated analysis, Pietropoli intends for viewers to
decrypt each canvas in their own ways. And these works are certainly worth contemplating for years to come,
as they slowly unfold in painted layers.
HUGO GALERIE is a fine art gallery in New York City specializing in contemporary figurative painting and
sculpture. The gallery represents an international roster of artists working in a variety of media and range of
genres. Please direct inquiries to info@hugogalerie.com .
