Modern Stillness: Maureen O’Leary’s “Both/And” at Cristin Tierney Gallery

In Both/And, Maureen O'Leary's exhibition on view at Cristin Tierney Gallery through May 27, the artist presents a cinematic body of narrative imagery engaging with moments of stillness in nature and in her subjects' everyday lives. Drawing on modern portraiture and fusing these impulses within the contemplation embedded within the everyday, O'Leary's ability to evoke stillness in her subjects is indicative of both her competence as a painter and her discerning knowledge of art history. Focusing in this exhibition review on the figurative paintings on view, it is apparent that the artist presents everyday scenes subtly removed from the digital realm. This adds a timeless quality to the imagery in these compositions. One result of this careful presentation is that artist's portraits and landscapes manage to slow the eye, effectively expressing the psychological charge infusing these painted scenes. The artist's works freeze individual moments in time, distinctly separating each out from a successive series of events to instead simmer and soak in the silence of these specific snapshots.