Oil painting by artist Mark Westervelt, titled "I Saw Them as Angels"

Capturing an Elusive Quality

What makes an artwork captivating? Is it beauty and aesthetics; an intriguing narrative; an engaging or powerful image; an evocative, emotional quality or a complete sense of mystery? Is it that we know exactly what the artist wants to convey; or is it the opposite, that we are engaged enough to decipher the message no matter how cryptic it may be? Whatever reason compels us to engage with a work of art, this engagement is almost always accompanied by an intangible quality, an unseen yet felt sense that we are in the presence of something unique and meaningful.

This work incorporates dried paint chips on its surface

This week’s New Arrival features an early oil painting by Mark Westervelt. Mark has had a long and distinguished career, devoting his life to the act of creation. In the process he has developed a visual style that contradicts his classical training, which includes art degrees from the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Chicago. Although he has been described as a figurative abstract expressionist, his work defies labels. Take a moment and examine this piece from 1995. We are asked to consider the “angels” and the indefinable feeling bringing them to life.

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To learn more about the artist read this recent blog.