Victor Macarol - Cats of Rome at Goldsmiths Galleryby Dr. Peter Gund In this exhibition of monochromatic silver prints entitled "I Gatti di Roma - Cats of Rome," mounted through May 30 at Goldsmiths Gallery at 26 N. Union Street in Lambertville, New Jersey, Victor Macarol reasserts his talent for presenting mundane scenes which, on further study, are suddenly transformed into surprising and humorous visions. This time Macarol chose to portray cats in their own ordered society among the seemingly abandoned, ancient alleys of Rome. It appears that the city is filled with roaming undomesticated cats looking, nevertheless, as if being well fed and cared for. Macarol explores their environment and social order, and the man-made surroundings where the presence of humans is only evident through their artifacts. The works again reveal the depth of Macarol's unique artistic vision, as viewers comprehend his ideas on different levels. All prints are symbolic constructs, with complex meanings, and with specific counts and interrelationships of picture elements. On another level, the images are gently humorous vignettes on the foibles of these creatures desperately fighting for survival in an impersonal world. They are windows into their ever-changing life situations, often ambiguous, where you are invited to form your own opinion about the psychological state of the characters. Here we see a cat, completely dwarfed by the canyons of ageless Roman buildings, yet centered in an open, light-washed area. Obviously at home in these totally man-made surroundings, the cat appears as if inviting us to enter its territory to play. There is also a triangle formed by portions of a car and two motorbikes – the artifacts of absent humans coexisting in this world; it draws the eye to the cat in its center. Elsewhere, the automobiles and motorbikes are turned into cats' beds, thrones and perches – as if these, ostensibly human, articles were there specifically for feline use. Pigeons, and sometimes even a misguided dog, are also invited here to play dramatic roles. A reclining cat royally surveys its domain that includes the subservient dog skulking in the background. Another cat, on a stoop, looks down at two pigeons who stand at attention. Is the cat above the pigeons in the "pecking order" here, or is it nervously considering flight from the stiff, alert pigeons? In contrast, in a different setting, two vigilant cats and a nonchalant pigeon mark the vertices of a triangle that, amazingly, happens to reflect triangular patterns on the wall behind it! As always, Macarol's works reward the observant viewer with additional insights. One passes through layers of meaning – first struck by the subject matter, then by the play of light or geometric arrangement of elements, and then by the possible storylines that could have led to the moment of equilibrium. Such is the character of enduring art – to continue to enlighten and surprise and entertain the viewer. * An essay 'Surprising and Humorous Visions' accompanying Victor Macarol's one-man exhibition entitled 'I Gatti di Roma - Cats of Rome' at Goldsmiths Gallery in Lambertville, New Jersey ___________________________________________________________________________
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