Watercolors:   by Bruce M. Coyle


American Dream
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  Original: Varnished Watercolor on Textured Board.
    ( 30" x 25" )








  Print:: ( 20" x 25" ) Enhanced Fine Art Paper




$75.00

Notes: Quote from "The Kennett Paper," June 14-20, 2001; pg. A14; R. B. Strauss, "Local Painter Shines at Artworks:"

"... Then there is the show stopper, ';The American Dream.' Put simply, this painting deserves to be in a museum. A most stunning achievement, this is a powerful character study that reflects on its title with an irony that transcends any simple take on post modernism. Instead, it forges a deep bond with whoever sees it, though ';witness' is a far better word that just 'see.'"

"Featuring a palette limited by necessity, this painting is filled with darkness that won't quit. Still, there is an inner light here, which is an offering by the artist to alleviate what he has depicted. The painting features a subway car that must be near the end of the line, for there is only a handful of people on it. These people look dog-tired so they must be all going home from a long and hard day's work."

"The light here is part and parcel of the piece, for the work is a watercolor that has been coated with a clear varnish as the source of this light, a brilliant patina that lends each subject here an angelic grace. One has to go all the way back to the Ash Can School to find a more powerful take on what it means to be a member of the working class. That the subway car is covered with the graffiti sets the scene in the present, a time when all those onboard have found that the American Dream has perhaps bypassed them."

"On a technical level also, the painting is stunning. Though the whole scene is painted in a dreamlike, Impressionistic manner, it exudes sweat and stench and a cramped view though the car is somewhat empty. Yet, Coyle lends his people a quiet peace..."