Abigail Dudley is an observational painter who has no problem translating the subjects she depicts into a combination of vision and imagination. This combination, coupled with her artistic talent, sets her apart from other observational painters, especially those of the older generation. Even more amazing is that she is not even 30 years old. I was first drawn to Dudley’s work when I was the sole judge for the 2023 Young Painters Competition hosted by the University of Miami. A few months later, I included her work in a group exhibition. What‘New features for still life, portrait, and landscape Laisun Keane Gallery in Boston. 11 paintings in the exhibition Abigail Dudley: In Sight The Steven Harvey Fine Art Project should convince anyone who cares about painting to appreciate her work, to come back for more.
Dudley’s focus in this exhibition is on figures sitting or standing in a room that often contains fantastical elements. In Emanuelle (2023-24), a barefoot black man in casual clothes is shown almost in profile, sitting in a chair with his hands on his knees and his eyes closed. Behind him is a yellow to gray textured painting reminiscent of a desert, with a small full moon at the top edge. Is this man dreaming? What caught my attention was the juxtaposition of observation and fiction. There is no single interpretation, which encourages the viewer to look closely at the surface of the painting. The shift from the solid color of the figures to the blurred landscape and the graininess of what looks like sand highlights the artist’s mastery of painting. Rather than impose a style on her subject, she lets the painting take her into new territory.
Dudley’s approach to fantasy imagery is not rigid; she makes everything in her art seem like it’s been discovered. In Heart to Heart (2024), a couple sits facing each other in a layered, ambiguous space. The man sits in the corner of a blue modernist sofa. Two vases beside him could be on the sofa or floating in the air. Both readings feel strange. A translucent, mostly lavender woman occupies much more space than he does. A cocktail shaker and an empty glass attached to the vase seem to dangle from her right leg.
With similarities to Henri Matisse’s The Conversation (1908-12), this painting raises many questions. The woman’s legs extend through the blue rectangle that contains the sofa, man, and coffee table. What could this possibly mean? Following the clue in the title, what is the nature of their heart-to-heart? The dreamlike figures leave the work open-ended. While there is no clear reading, it conveys the complexity of relationships and the realization that some things may remain hidden forever.
“Night Artist” (2023-24) is the most intriguing and unsettling work in this powerful and challenging exhibition. A barefoot, brown-skinned woman sits looking at a pair of scissors dangling from the fingers of her right hand. Eight metal thumbtacks are scattered on the floor below. Smears of paint behind the woman suggest a worn wall and add to the work’s atmosphere. In a move that seems bold and unexpected, Dudley has smeared the woman’s face with a dark green tint. Is it mud? This viewer, at least, isn’t sure. In the painting’s narrow vertical format, the image is both comprehensible, in that we can recognize the figure, the scissors, and the thumbtacks, and yet completely inexplicable. I can’t think of another painter, especially one so early in his career, who can transport the viewer into a space where clarity and confusion are inseparable.
Nothing in this exhibition seems contrived or far-fetched. Dudley is able to effortlessly combine different states of reality and imagination in the same work. She is an artist who loves to paint and believes that painting will take her to unknown places. The evidence in this exhibition tells us that she is not wrong.
Abigail Dudley: In Sight The exhibition will be on view at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects (208 Forsyth Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan) through July 12. The exhibition is organized by the gallery.
