A lively, impressionistic depiction of a anniversary day captures a vibrant and romantic depiction of a couple dancing gracefully in an elegant outdoor setting, rendered in a bold impressionistic style. Olivia Palermo & Johannes Huebl with their hands clasped together, the she wears a voluminous white ball gown with a strapless bodice accented by a subtle black detail, its wide skirt flowing dramatically as she twirls. Her hair, styled in an updo, is a warm brown that catches the light. While the he is dressed in a classic white tuxedo with a black bow tie and dark trousers, giving him a dapper and timeless appearance. His brown hair is neatly styled, and his gaze toward the woman adds an intimate, tender touch to the moment. We are whisked away in this whimsical scene with the emotion and dynamic composition of this painting. Shaoul is known for painting motifs in the "Ashcan School" style with thick use of paint and a whimsical approach. The artist employs thick, textured brushstrokes and a soft yet lively color palette to infuse the scene with movement and energy. This piece is a pertinent example of using hues and pops of color to contrast bringing the characters to life and connecting with her audience. This painting is an oil on wood panel signed by the artist lower left and titled and dated on verso. It comes housed in a contemporary white frame with hanging wire on verso ready to be displayed..
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Framed measures 22 x 18 inches
Inspired by whimsey and purity of the feminine form, Cindy Shaoul is known for her impressionistic and abstract style. She is best recognized for her series ‘Brides’, ‘Dripping Dots’ and ‘Hearts’, as well as her ‘Plein-Air’ street scenes of quintessential New York locations. Shaoul’s works can be found in thousands of private and corporate collections worldwide.
Since her first group show at Parsons School of Design in 2009, her work has been showcased internationally – from Italy to South Korea – and has been shown at various art fairs nationwide including Miami, Palm Beach, Dallas, and New York. Shaoul has had numerous solo exhibitions and has garnered the attention of notable celebrities such as former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, NFL Star Christian McCaffrey, Emma Roberts, Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Catherine Deneuve and John Malkovich.
Her love of painting began at the age of 18 when she was on Thanksgiving break from college. She painted a 9 foot colorful, abstract Mural in her Mothers' art studio and never stopped after that. She later traveled to Hungary and Budapest, picking up inspiration and studying abroad for 2 years, which has connected lifelong experiences that would influence her art today. Upon returning to New York City, she would continue her artistic education at the Art Students League, where she worked under the tutelage of Joseph Peller, Gregg Kreutz, and Tom Torak.
She learned techniques from the great masters of impressionism, but it wasn’t until she met renowned street artist Angel Ortiz who previously worked with Keith Haring, that her work would strongly become influenced by 1980s hip-hop and graffiti, propelling her reputation and pushing her into the city’s explosive urban art scene. The collection they worked on was an homage to New York’s streets, where Ortiz began when he first met Haring. This style of creation heavily impacted Shaoul’s technique, expanding her voice of discovery and moving her hand of impressionism not only to traditional subjects of New York City street scenes but to boundary-free expressions in the abstract world.
While Shaoul honed her skill at the Students League, in her studio the “Dripping Dots” began a whole new aesthetic. Started from the leftover paint on her pallet, she would clean the paint with her brushes onto a new canvas, not to waste the leftover oils, and soon, the motion of cleaning turned into dots on the canvas. She began connecting the dots with linseed oil and this is how the motif was imprinted. It would become a freeing moment of painting in an abstract way after going to school and learning the impressionist technique. The experience of discovery with color and emotional brushwork became very cathartic, and felt familiar from the times she would collaborate with Ortiz.
Shaoul would continue to explore new themes in her work. In 2018 she began the “Brides” series which balances her love for impressionism with an abstract hand. While exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, she would create a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. The Brides would give a new meaning of expression to her practice, and allowed nuances to emerge, demonstrating a whimsical expression of femininity and formality adding a stunning display of understated grandeur to her work.
Artist Statement: "With the Brides series, I aim to create exotic forms with expressive and highly textural brushstrokes that are full of intense color, loosely inspired by artists of the French Impressionist movement such as Renoir, Degas, and Mary Cassatt. All impressionists whose works blend traditional academic art with the radical movements that went on to dominate the art world in the 20th century. I try to capture impressions of “The Ballerinas” which are found in many of Degas works where he has captured movement like never before. With the music I listen to, my brush lands on the canvas with immediate rhythm and style. I want the Bride to have a dazzling explosion of variable life to symbolize the future that lies ahead for her. The surprise of the rhythm is what excites me while creating these pieces, and I aspire to bridge what I’ve learned in school with my passion for exuberant abstraction and depth of color into the essence of her figure and spirit."
PROVENANCE: Lilac Gallery Collection. Consigned by the gallery directly from Cindy Shaoul Studio. The artwork is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the artist. The piece will be stamped from Lilac Gallery on its verso.