These exquisite  Nudes by Phil Bower on view at the Samuel Freeman Gallery were a remarkable discovery during the Culver City Summer Solstice ArtWalk. I’d seen the latter image, Nude (Woman at Shore) online, but wasn’t prepared for how remarkable she’d be in person. The paintings are billed as photorealism, however, they’re far beyond that in person. In my opinion these paintings are a new form of Impressionism. When viewed up close the images become almost pixelated and difficult to understand… step back about 5 feet, and Voila! Your eye connects the dots and builds the image for you. Bower’s use of color is a true gift, especially when combined with his glazing technique. His images are culled from websites broadcasting voyeur videos from around the world. He then takes a frame grab and works from the low resolution images. While it may sound a bit creepy, these ‘models’ have been captured in a moment of being pure, honest, and completely uninhibited. Standing in front of Nude (Woman at Shore) was like being transported back to the Musee d’ Orsay in front of Alexandre Cabanel’s The Birth of Venus… it took every ounce of restraint to not reach out and touch her life like flesh.

Exhibit closes July 5th, 2014.