In the Words of Others
Michael Greenwald is a Cleveland painter known for his moody, mostly imaginary landscapes, which bring to mind the somber nocturnes of Albert Pinkham Ryder. Unlike Ryder, who was fond of allegorical and literary figures, Greenwald’s painted world is deliberately free from the human form – not merely empty, but emptied. Greenwald clears a space for the mind, offering visions of earth such as were last seen (but never seen) on the first days of Creation. A work like “Red Sky at Night, Sailors’ Delight, Red Sky at Morning, Sailors Take Warning” is a pure psychological space, as much like a Rothko as a Ryder, but emptied also of history. It is a new beginning.
Douglas Max Utter, CAN Journal
Douglas Max Utter, CAN Journal
These new paintings by Michael Greenwald transport viewers to wide-open plains, pastures, and oceans, and manage to do so with consistent originality. Greenwald never seems to repeat himself, despite working in what is a fairly narrow genre. The distinguishing factor is his color palette: bright, sensuous, and nonobjective, but not gaudy or trite. There's something physically engaging about the way he captures rolling farmland in tones of yellow, red, and brown, with clouds rushing across the sky, or the lava-like reds and near-black he uses to convey a secluded bay at the tail end of sunset. His blending of colors is not seamless, and it works: Rather than fusing so many variations of blue into one large, semi-distinct wash to portray an ocean dappled with sunlight, he lets the shades simply hang next to each other. Clouds and skies make up at least two thirds of his canvases; he gets away with it thanks to his dramatic, impulsive brush strokes and use of yellows and blues alongside various shades of white. Moreover, Greenwald condenses into one square foot the gloomy, purplish magnificence of a Kansas prairie immediately before a tornado. Now that's effective use of space.
Zachary Lewis, Scene Magazine
Zachary Lewis, Scene Magazine
Michael Greenwald’s recent paintings engage with meditative and poetic landscapes painted by the celebrated Cleveland Heights resident at the opening reception for his latest exhibit. His use of color and ability to show subtle changes in light upon the horizon creates a stunning visual and is a fitting way to celebrate the end of a long Cleveland winter. Experience the serene introspection elicited by his beautiful landscapes.
Elizabeth Davis, E. Gordon Gallery
Elizabeth Davis, E. Gordon Gallery
Artist Michael Greenwald provides a peek into the usually private world of his studio. He’s been an active participant in local public art projects – from the big fiberglass guitars to the slightly smaller fiberglass rats that have been seen around the St. Clair – Superior neighborhood. In his more personal work he explores different media, especially small to mid size landscapes and seascapes, painted in oil on canvas, which even as they portray the drama of their subjects, manage to evoke calm.
Michael Gill, Scene Magazine
Michael Gill, Scene Magazine
As an age-old genre, to contemporary eyes, landscape painting can often appear trite and sentimental. It is rare that an artist can work within this genre to create something that is fresh and contemporary. Somehow Greenwald is able to do just that. His paintings are comforting and serene, yet they are imbued with quite strength, like nature itself. They depict distant vistas, where the sky dominates his canvases. His most frequently employed technique of simply splitting the plane of the canvas in two with the horizon, basically bisecting the image into two color fields is reminiscent of Mark Rothko. The simple composition would render the paintings abstract if it weren’t for the color gradients in the land and water and the sense of atmosphere in the skies. Greenwald’s work offers a sort of meditative escapism where one can get lost in the clouds and let their mind wander.
Eye Art Journal
Eye Art Journal
Michael Greenwald’s recent landscape paintings are calming and satisfying; their effectiveness relying upon simple compositions and strong color choices. His techniques vary from craftsmen like detail to expressive splattering of paint and solvents, often within the same painting. Greenwald has the ability to capture the sensibility of the Hudson River School painters and combine it with a non-objective contemporary aesthetic.
Jess Brown, Paint Magazine
Jess Brown, Paint Magazine