Since first introducing the Night Car concept with a limited edition book and an accompanying solo show back in July 2020 at Hesse Flatow in NYC, Eliot Greenwald has been intensively experimenting with this deceptively simple composition. After a solo show with mostly small scale paintings at Taymour Grahne Projects back in November, and participation in a couple of group exhibitions, Harper's Books recently announced the representation of Brooklyn-based artist with a solo exhibition of thirteen new oil stick paintings, Takin’ the Riverboat Out on Snake Lake.
While we genuinely enjoyed the small-scale works that originally introduced this body of work cause of their precious, semi-sculptural appearance, the new, big-scale works are armed with a full set of new qualities that are utilized through his signature concept. Using this familiar yet ambiguous setup, the textures and marks created with oil sticks give the work a new layer of intense tactile peculiarity. Still playing with the infinite polarities of perspective, the snapshots of a vehicle approaching from in between the two hills continue the ongoing ride that Greenwald has been taking us on. With misshapen canvases evoking the thought bubble of sorts, the dreamy, semi-fantastical ambiance becomes more real and the premonition of a neverending narrative sets off.