Ellen Chuse, "Imagined Light" at 440 Gallery

Is it possible to revive an old love affair? Almost forty years after living in Italy for a year as a Fulbright Fellow in Sculpture, Ellen Chuse returned to Rome for several months in 2010. She not only rekindled her love affair with the city, the country, and its culture, but also reconnected with the unique light, shapes and colors she encountered during her daily outings. Chuse has brought these impressions to life in a series of acrylic paintings on paper. This new body of work springs directly from her walks in the parks and gardens of Rome where the pines in particular came to represent the city for her. These new paintings, including several very large, bold pieces, reflect Chuse's decades-long fascination with tree forms as well as her continuing exploration of the emotional resonance of color and line.