Winston Wachter Fine Art, New York, is excited to announce Contemplating Destiny, an exhibition of new paintings by Ed Cohen. These fluid acrylic paintings on canvas and wood panel combine the colorful energy of abstract expressionism with the rich stillness of spiritual art. Through earthy and minimal works, Cohen explores human nature and the universal search for serenity.
In these paintings, Cohen continues to draw inspiration from literature and poetry. This series began with the Aeneid Book 6, which follows Aeneas’s journey from the sea to Troy, and into the underworld. Like Virgil, Cohen focuses on the transitory nature of being human. Through richly colored circles and expressive shapes, these works explore the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The universal experience of searching for peace and the sanctuary of “homeland” is at the heart of this body of work.
Cohen explores an expanded palette including deep blues and greens, which evoke the vitality of the earth, as well as gold and silver, which symbolize the practice of alchemy and the eternal quest to understand the mysteries of the universe. An Idea is better than writing it down places a gold circle on a fluid silver background that evokes the texture of marble. In I was happy there in legend, an organic silver circle rests on a deep red background, pristine and polished. The circle is a key element of Cohen’s work, as a meditative symbol of prayer and intention in these lush and vibrant paintings.
In The momentous present folding over the future like a wave overtaking a grain of sand, multicolored paint drips fall on a sensuous gold ground, embracing both meditative control and instinctive playfulness. This combination of restraint and spontaneity is common throughout Cohen’s work. The works in Contemplating Destiny are minimal yet possess a deep chromatic depth and connection with the earth, allowing the viewer to meditate and reflect on their own.
