Andy Woll

“Western Wear”
Denny Gallery, New York

What the Gallery Says: Andy Woll is an expressive painter working between abstraction and representation. The subject of many of his paintings over the past few years has been Mount Wilson, a peak that is identifiable from all over Los Angeles, where Woll lives. He has painted over 150 paintings of the subject, echoing Paul Cezanne’s repeated study of Mont Sainte-Victoire in his native Provence a century ago. When Woll’s subject remains fixed on Mount Wilson, the artist is free to explore other aspects of painting, such as color, mark-making, and differing levels of abstraction. Woll’s colors are often thematic for a period of time, as in the paintings for this show exploring “Western Wear.” In the past, his color choices have been influenced by film noir, dime novels, and snowy landscapes. In addition to the mountain paintings for which he is known, Woll will exhibit new abstract works.

Why It’s Worth a Look: While Andy Woll’s latest solo show at Denny Gallery includes several of the artist’s best-known contemporary interpretations of the classic medium of landscape painting—which the artist has pursued with monastic consistency—the real highlight of this exhibition is a rare divergence from his tried-and-tested depictions of mountain ranges.

Although Woll has incorporated elements of gestural abstraction into his previous work, he fully embraces this new stylistic direction in the mid-scale canvas Santa Ana (2017), though his hand remains recognizable due to the familiar palette brushstrokes. Woll’s new direction is supported by a number of sumptuously textured oil on paper works, suggesting an exciting new stylistic chapter in the artist’s oeuvre.

What It Looks Like:

Installation view of Andy Woll’s “Western Wear” at Denny Gallery, New York. Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Installation view of Andy Woll’s “Western Wear” at Denny Gallery, New York. Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Installation view of Andy Woll’s “Western Wear” at Denny Gallery, New York. Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Installation view of Andy Woll’s “Western Wear” at Denny Gallery, New York. Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Andy Woll Santa Ana (2017). Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Andy Woll (2017). Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.

Andy Woll Santa Anita (2017). Photo: Courtesy Andy Woll/Denny Gallery, NYC and Night Gallery, LA.