Known for his remarkable urban landscapes, Enrique Santana has shifted
subjects from his earlier work in Chicago to the famous Manhattan
skyline with his latest exhibition, Approach to Manhattan.
Santana’s works, a collection of oil on canvas, display a divergence from the traditional representation of Manhattan in art, depicting instead a view of the city as seen from the water. This approach results in the creation of an image that is “void of any interference from the clamor and energy emanating from the canyons of glass, steel, and stone.”
As with his paintings of Chicago from the 1990s, Approach to Manhattan displays the dynamic interplay of city and water. According to the artist, this “focus provides not only an esthetic counterpoint, but also the dynamic relationship between the fluidity and energy of water against the silent power of shoreline buildings.” What results are luminous and surrealistic images of a living city, frozen in time.
Santana’s works, a collection of oil on canvas, display a divergence from the traditional representation of Manhattan in art, depicting instead a view of the city as seen from the water. This approach results in the creation of an image that is “void of any interference from the clamor and energy emanating from the canyons of glass, steel, and stone.”
As with his paintings of Chicago from the 1990s, Approach to Manhattan displays the dynamic interplay of city and water. According to the artist, this “focus provides not only an esthetic counterpoint, but also the dynamic relationship between the fluidity and energy of water against the silent power of shoreline buildings.” What results are luminous and surrealistic images of a living city, frozen in time.
