Reynolds Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of "Terroir," a solo exhibition of new paintings by Andras Bality at our Main Street location. The exhibition will open Friday, March 17, 2023 with a public reception with the artist from 5:00–7:00 pm. The show will run through April 28, 2023.
About the Exhibition
Within "Terroir," Bality offers slice-of-life scenes rendered in vibrant and rich applications of oil paint on canvas. Forgoing the studio in favor of painting from life, Bality has created these new works en plein air, capturing the environment, energy, and essence of each subject in his signature style. Spanning a calendar year of production, the works in "Terroir" depict seasonal changes, public and private spaces, and intersections where the natural and manufactured meet. Ultimately, this exhibition delivers ruminations on daily encounters and practices, providing a portrait of the everyday lived-experience as mediated by one of Richmond’s most sought-after artists.
Statement from the Artist
"This body of work was anchored in my attempt to make fifty-two plein air paintings over the course of a year, all about the same size as many of Vincent van Gogh’s landscape paintings. The subject matter, I feel, reflects the universal themes which we all encounter on a daily basis: love, human endeavor, passing of time, beauty, humor, wonder, the transient – precious qualities of so much that we see.
The title, 'Terroir,' references the winemaker's term for the specific qualities of the land that produce the grape. That term can also be applied to the plein air painter and their experience when painting outdoors, dealing with their surroundings. When used in relation to the plein air painter, I would add the unexpected element of human contact. Just about every painting I paint outdoors has a human story; people respectfully approach to see what I am doing, sometimes bringing me a coffee, always sharing a little bit about themselves. I feel enriched by my plein air encounters, both with nature and my fellow humans.
I believe if we all spent a little more time outside, looking, talking, sitting on the porch, it would be good for the planet."
- Andras Bality, 2023
About the Artist
Andras J. Bality is a modern-day impressionist, drawing inspiration from predecessors Bonnard and Van Gogh. He captures rural and metropolitan scenes with lightness, freedom, and intensity. Although based in realism, his paintings blur representation; he applies paint to convey a scene’s energy as opposed to its accuracy. Small, vigorous strokes build into tangible layers, transporting the viewer to vistas of Warm Springs, James River, Page County, and beyond.
Bality received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), and later continued his studies at the Cyprus College of Art (Lempa Village, Cyprus). His work is held in many public and private collections throughout the United States, including the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the College of William and Mary, Media General, the Medical College of Virginia, Capital One, Markel Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, to name a few. He is a recipient of a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship (2002) and a Theresa Pollak Award in Visual Art (2013). Bality is represented by Reynolds Gallery (Richmond, VA), Blue Print Gallery (Dallas, TX), and The Willard Gallery (South Portland, ME).
