Tuesday, August 2, 2022 – ENJOY THE WORKS OF THIS BROOKLYN BASED ARTIST
FROM THE ARCHIVES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2022
THE 743rd EDITION
“A LIGHT IN THE CITY”
PAINTINGS BY ARTIST RICK SECAN
COURTESY OF THE MUNICIPAL ART SOCIETY OF NEW YORK (MAS)
Doris and Alan J. Freedman Gallery
| Rick Secen’s A Light in the City is Now Online |
| The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is delighted to introduce the latest exhibition in the Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Gallery: a collection of paintings by artist Rick Secen. Capturing scenes of New York City life with a particular eye for the changing character of light, Secen’s art evokes the experience of the seasons in the five boroughs. From the bright skies of spring and the enveloping rays of summer sun, to the sharp shadows of fall and the cool softness of winter light, A Light in the City depicts a year in the life of an ever-evolving metropolis. This exhibition is the first collection of paintings to be featured in the Freedman Gallery. Relaunched in 2020 in a new digital format, the Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Gallery highlights the work of artists based in or inspired by New York City, whose work deepens our understanding of the relationship between people and the built environment. Since its relaunch, the Freedman Gallery has featured work by Giles Ashford, James & Karla Murray, Stanley Greenberg, Jeff Chien Hsing Liao, Chris Weller, and Melissa O’Shaughnessy. |
ABOUT THE ARTIST
 | Rick Secen is a Brooklyn-based artist who has been working primarily in oil painting since 2015. After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005, he moved to New York City to pursue sound editing for film. Coming from a film-making background, his instinct in painting leans heavily on the art of storytelling. In 2018, Rick had his first solo exhibition, titled City Witness, featuring a series of paintings themed on stories from his community in the Lower East Side. |
| In January 2022, he had his second solo exhibition titled Guiding Lights, which portrayed characters in isolation having a direct interaction with a light source. The series was directly born from pandemic living. Along with works of art containing narrative, Rick is also pursuing a personal on-going documentary project. By filming and interviewing local artists in their studios, discussing their projects, their processes, and their stories, he discovers the many ways there are to be a working artist. To see more of Rick’s work, visit www.ricksecen.com or follow him @ricksecen_studio |
ARTIST STATEMENT
The inspiration for this collection of paintings finds its true source from the people I witness every day and the city that they are perpetually molding.
From the street corner, I watch hundreds of people hustling about, getting it done, surviving the day, and beating the odds in a city that moves at a relentless speed.
While the day is unpredictable and each morning seems to burst into disarray, we may pause and discover that there is also a wonderful rhythm written into the fabric of the urban experience.
The streets move to the beat of traffic lights. Trains burst violently into stations, load passengers, and depart over and over again. Boats eb and flow, slicing through the harbor. Helicopters launch and land in rhythmic order. The whole city moves to an unseen conductor.
This collection, which is composed of works from the last seven years, features paintings of our city which were constructed using methods that capture this dual nature of city life.
The paintings are full of texture and vibrating color, while being sequestered to strong shapes. Light and atmosphere churn into the perfect lines of city perspective. Both light and air are depicted as characters themselves, moving between the buildings, under the bridges, through our parks, and coming into direct contact with the people who live here, where together they share a moment of silent chaos.
ABOUT THE DORIS AND ALAN J. FREEDMAN GALLERY
The Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Gallery was housed at the former offices of MAS at the Villard Houses prior to the organization’s move in 2010. In 2020, the gallery was reimagined as a digital space made accessible to visitors from across the city and world. Both the digital gallery and its original programming at the Villard Houses have been made possible through the generosity of the Freedman Family.
Doris Freedman (1928–1981) served as New York City’s first Director of Cultural Affairs and founded the Public Art Fund in 1977. Alan Freedman (1923–1982) was the founder and chairman of the WNYC Foundation, which raised private financing to support public radio broadcasting in New York. Both Doris and Alan Freedman served as Presidents of MAS in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
STEAM VENT AT NIGHT
STOP LIGHT IN THE CLOUDS
RAIN CROSSING MANHATTAN BRIDGE
ELIZABETH STREET GARDEN
RUSTED BEAM BLUE ROCKS
HOT DOG VENDOR
CHINATOWN IN THE RAIN
Black Liberty Leading, June 2020, Columbus Circle, Trump Tower,
CUP AND SAUCER
FLATIRON SPRING
LUDLOW IN WINTER
DOG WALK
TO VIEW MORE IMAGES FROM THE EXHIBIT:
https://www.mas.org/photo_exhibitions/a-light-in-the-city/
Tuesday Photo of the Day
SEND YOU RESPONSE TO ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
- HOT DOG STAND ON BROAD STREET
- The Umbrella’s markings are ALL CARS LEAD TO BLOOMINGDALES” the motto of the 59th Street Store. The motto told that all streetcar routes lead to the store.
- Gloria Herman and Laura Hussey got it right!
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
Sources
RICK SECAN ART courtesy of the
Doris and Alan J. Freedman Gallery
Municipal Art Society
Elizabeth Goldstein, President
FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
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