Press Release: The Sixth Season

Wilhelm Neusser
October 14 - December 13, 2020
460C Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA

Abigail Ogilvy Gallery is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition by Boston-based painter Wilhelm Neusser. In this newest body of work, a thicket of forsythia or a chain link fence create a space just out of reach, suggesting a longing for an indeterminate place or time. The show’s title, The Sixth Season, refers to a mysterious missing panel in a series by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Like the work of this 16th century forerunner, Neusser’s paintings invite speculation. What or which time is lost? The Sixth Season contrasts our nature as social beings with the experience of a season lost, the pandemic spring of 2020.

Neusser’s latest paintings evoke a sense of isolation akin to his well-known cranberry bog series. Only this time, instead of distant figures, subtle details in the landscape elicit powerful emotions: a glinting sunspot off a chain link fence, a spontaneous splattering of forsythia that stands in stark contrast to the hazy background. Previous works like Neusser’s “Fruitlands/Interchange” bring to mind old masterful depictions of nature like Thomas Cole’s “View from Mount Holyoke.” In his new paintings, Neusser builds further on this theme, fluidly integrating the manmade and the natural world. In doing so, the artist invites a multisensory experience. Surrounded by the pollen haze of the flowers that symbolize the start of spring, the viewer relives a change of the season experienced by all of us so differently this year.

In light of the current pandemic and the political state of the country, we long for the days of the past and a return to a sense of normalcy. But what is it exactly that we long to return to? The “new normal” is left to each of us to contemplate and to define. Neusser’s paintings pay homage to isolation, to the loneliness that socially and physically distances us from the world. But the works do not stop there. Instead they add a shock of bright yellow or a playfully stripped piece of fabric to show us that there can be beauty even in times of darkness. Do these colors reflect a brighter, more equitable future? Neusser’s work allows us to reflect on this past year and move forward with strength amidst uncertainty. 

Wilhelm Neusser’s artwork has been widely exhibited and he has received numerous awards and fellowships. His recent museum exhibitions include the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, 2019), the Fruitlands Museum (Harvard, MA, 2019), and MASS MoCa (North Adams, MA, 2018). In 2020 he was honored with a finalist grant in Painting from the Mass Cultural Council. Additional awards and recognition include the MASS MoCA Studio Program (2017), Vermont Studio Center (2013), Finalist, Wilhelm-Morgner-Prize, Soest (2010), International Artist in Residence, Boots Contemporary Art Space (St. Louis, MO, 2009), ZVAB Phönix Art Prize (2007). Neusser’s work has been included in notable publications, including The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Artscope Magazine, Boston.com, and Big Red & Shiny.

Wilhelm Neusser was born in Cologne, Germany. He relocated to the United States in 2011, and currently lives and works in Somerville, MA.