Rebecca Moy: Visceral Reaction

"Against The Grain", Acrylic on Canvas, 44" x 60"

Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago will be presenting the paintings of Rebecca Moy from November 15 through January 17th with an opening reception on Friday, November 19th from 5:30-7:30... so save the date!

Manipulating the spatial relationship of shape and color, Moy creates an intriguing world with hard-edged abstraction. The works explore the reactions that she—and the viewer—has to variations of color and form relationships. Moy explains:

“I’ve always been fascinated with the reaction of the body and mind to the visceral relationship between color and shapes. …This series of paintings becomes the physical embodiment of this investigation, as it takes place within me. I’m intrigued by the thoughts and feelings evoked by precise orchestrations of color and shape. Layer by layer, these forms create a place to remember, or perhaps a place to forget… to wonder and wander through the times and places we’ve all journeyed; perhaps these are the moments and memories which define us.”

Moy works in an abundant sanctuary—her studio—were massive canvases surround a central workspace. Here, she obsessively applies layer after layer of acrylic, inventing—and reinventing—new meditative imagery, which addresses psychological reaction to line, shape and color. Some of the compositions are presented in quiet color palettes while others seem charged with electric vibrancy... each conveying an individual mood or personality. The paintings seem to explore the color theories of Stanton MacDonald-Wright [1890-1973], which defined specific psychological interpretations of color. Moy takes these color theories a step further by incorporating shape and line into her imagery. These images provide an intriguing sensory experience.

The work of Rebecca Moy will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 17. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, November 19, 5:30-7:30 pm. Gallery 180 is free and open to the public. All works will be available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com.

Also, take a moment to drop by Gallery 180 to visit the amazing paintings of Frances Cox through November 11th.