As part of its holistic approach to the arts (“In Art We Trust,” its tagline), the informal classical music showcase, Classical Underground, now in its sixth season, features the work of visual artists. November’s concert highlights a neo-realist painting that resonates — much as we wish it didn’t.
The work, Among The Ruins by New York-based painter Adam Miller, smarts with its relevance. Hearkening the realist and mannerist traditions, it portrays a post-apocalyptic world — a harbinger of a new reality that in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy we seem to be entering.
Also providing something of a respite from the pre-Election Day chatter, the bohemian arts salon offers a wonderful line-up of chamber music. There’s a strong component of Mozart, but Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and George Enescu also figure in the evening. Tickets are reasonable and the musical grab-bag, as well as the pot-luck grazing, is always stimulating.
Classical Underground | Music & Art & Potluck Party | Nov 5
Adam Miller | Copro Gallery | opens Nov 10
Like this? Read more:
- Classical Underground Rocks (The Huffington Post)
- Midori, humble page turner
“Among the Ruins” is an amazingly beautiful painting in the neo-classical style of Jacques Louis David, capturing the devastation of an apocalyptic aftermath while juxtaposing the barren wasteland with the stunning beauty of the classically-rendered survivors, bare as the world they now inhabit. Adam Miller shows an incredible talent in the style of William-Adolphe Bouguereau (see Bougereau’s “Dante and Virgil in Hades”). In “Among the Ruins” one sees the penultimate manifestation of techiques in body form, lighting, texture, negative space, and depth of tone discussed in our favorite life drawing courses. Absorbing the exhausted reflection of this moment, the eye finally wanders up to see another cataclysm inbound to wreak more havoc on this battered world. A rich, multi-textured experience of the highest order.