NEIL NAGY
"I am a figurative artist specifically, an expressionist
with an interest in the figure as a device to personalize my work and
create the connection between my thoughts and the image. In painting,
I work as freely as possible so that the only conscious moves are in the
editing. I will paint over a complete canvas many times, carving into
the surface and building layers, until it is resolved. The work, therefore,
has a richness and character underlying the finished piece. I believe
that art is the symbolic expression of thoughts, feelings or events. My
art is internal and not so much about ideas as it is about my emotions.
The source of my art exists in the never-ending frontiers of my own mind."
Nagy currently resides in San Pedro, California, in the port of Los Angeles,
known for its rough and bowdy heritage a haven for artists. Nagy' s home
and studio sit on the edge of a canyon in the Palos Verdes hills. This
natural landscape allows Nagy to observe the natural life cycle, giving
him perspective and grounding.
Neil Nagy s expressionistic handling of paint embraces the essence of
his figures, landscapes, and still-lifes, as the eye easily gets lost
in the thick texture of the paint layers. This layering process is guided
by instinct and emotion. Nagy s paintings are influenced by the New York
School, particularly, the gestural, unfinished quality of de Kooning,
and by the Bay Area Figurative School represented by artists like Richard
Diebenkorn and David Park.
Nagy' s subjects take on the form of a physical body, full of life and
painted with brilliant colors and energy, or as a trace of the human spirit
or psyche. It is difficult to ignore the elements of loneliness or isolation
given to the more ethereal figures. They are faceless, with limbs that
dissolve into empty space. These figures have no identity, instead a glow,
a movement felt in the paint.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2003 THE GALLERY, RITZ-CARLTON Laguna Niguel, California
“World Invitational” Group
2000 LEFT BANK GALLERY Dove Canyon, California
“ Neil Nagy, New Work” Solo
PYONG TAEK INTERNATIONAL, Pyong Taek, Korea
“New Shining Flash From The East of Mind”
1999 LEARSI GALLERY “Palm Desert, California
“Painting And Sculpture” Solo
PORTLAND CRAFT MUSEUM Portland, Oregon
“Ceramic Sculpture” Solo
1998 STEVEN A AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY Austin, Texas
“Texas National” Invitational
ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER San Pedro California
“A Work In Progress” Solo
1997 MENDOCINO ART CENTER Mendocino, California
“Biennial Figurative Exhibition” Invitational
LEFT BANK GALLERY Laguna Beach, California
“Legends And Allegories” Solo
1996 SARAH BAIN GALLERY Fullerton, California
“Group Show” Group
LEFT BANK GALLERY Laguna Beach California
“New Work” Solo
1995 ST. PAUL COMPANIES Minneapolis, Minnesota
“Invitational” Group
MENDOCINO ART CENTER Mendocino, California
“Biennial Figurative Exhibition” Group
KOLL CENTER Irvine, California
“Exhibition” Group
1994 LYDON FINE ART Chicago, Ilinois
“Shadows and Passages” Solo
CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE San Pablo, California
“Figuration” Invitational
SPRING GALLERY Santa Monica, California
“Gallery Artists Show” Group
1993 SOUTH BAY CONEMPORARY MUSEUM Torrance, California
“Annual Group Show” Group
for information,
prices, or comments
email: michaelrevans@mac.com
phone: (949) 929-1041