UPCOMING SHOWUp to 20 worhs

March l-30,2012Arcadia Gallery5l Greene StreetNewYork, NY 10013(212) 965-1387

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MarrHEW ConxELL

Mysteriesof twilight

atthew Cornell's painttng, The

Road, exemplifies everything he is

trying to accomplish in his latest

series of paintings. The painting depicts a

junction on a small country road at twilight.The two-lane paved road turns off into a

bumbling dirt road enveloped in darkness.

Ar-r unmarked street sign frames the scene on

the left while an overgrown cropping of weeds

Iills in the other side of the painting. The

overall leeling of thc randorn night scene is

one of mystery and familiarity, comfort and,

possibly, concern.

"You see the main road in the loreground

and then the turn off ends in complete

darkness," says Cornell. "You see the street, the

dirt road, and the unmarked strcct sign and you

start to get the idea of the unknown-so many

things happen ir.r our lives that you never know

how they will turn our. You rnake a decision,

then turn olf into the unknown."

Cornell loves painting at twilight because

of the transitory nature of this time of day. Thelow light of twilight, the time berween day and

nighr. i' when "rhe rright creaturet are \rauingto stir ar-rd hum," when the fbeling of the

unknown starts creeping into ordinary dailyscenes and mystery soon envelopes a scene.

"It intrigues me, the mystery of the

twilight," remarks Cornell. "You begin tonotice things and things look different. Have

you ever noticed how dillerent your own home

looks at night rather than day? Things appear,

disappear, and the light just gives it that

mysterious and strange quality."This series also is inspired by Cornell's

lovc of discovcry. Driving through small

towns across the country on his many travels

or just finding spots around his home in(lrlando, Florida, Con-rell always lir-rds himself

wondering about thc lives of the peoplc hc

comcs across in thc:c sccncs.

102

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104

"You pass by a house and think 'lVho lives

there?' '\7hat is their story?' "What is goingon inside that home?,"' explains Cornell."I often think about the lives people lead,

even if I ve never known them. \What got them

to where they are now? How they moved inthat direction."

Another painting in this series is titled

Crossroads.\X4t11e the scene at first glance appears

to be a common railroad crossing in Anytown,

USA, Cornell finds much more here.

"So, I wanted to paint the place where

Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil inexchange for guitar genius," says Cornell."I figured if this legend were really true, itwould have to be a relatively benign place. Itseems like it would be a simple place and notone ofgrandiosity. In the story, it was, indeed,

near railroad rracks. In rhis painting we are

Robert Johnson, on the railroad tracks oflifel\fle are coming to a crossing. tVe are given a

choice. On the right, which is impossible tosee here, is a children school crossing sign.

This is meant to represent innocence. On the

left is a business, which could be a bar, a juke

joint, or whatever. It is occupied and open

24 hours, because the devil is always open

for business. Life is about choices. Robert

Johnson made his. tVhat is mine?"

Another important aspect of the paintings

in this series is the size. The largest is 20 by

20 inches while the smallest is roughly B by

8 inches.

"One of the effects of the smaller pieces

is that they are not necessarily closed," says

Cornell. "lVhen you look at one, you see far offinto the distance of the paintings. I've always

Iiked rhar. I Feel ir is an intimare experience

when you stare into the painting and can see

so far." o

For a direct linb to the

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direct linb to theexhibiting gallery go

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