The paintings in Dee Levinson’s Touchstone Gallery show, “Religions of the World,” began with an epiphany, but it wasn’t a sectarian one. Visiting Rome in 1991, the Arlington artist was struck by the forms and lines of the abundant public sculpture. Levinson works from photographs to depict these and other statues in a hard-edge style that emphasizes depth and modeling. Rather than simulate the tones of marble and bronze, though, the painter uses bold complementary colors, pitting red against green or purple against yellow. To this pop-art clash, she often adds gold, which denotes holiness in both Western and Eastern traditions.
Since Levinson’s inspiration derives from travels in Europe, the majority of her subjects are Christian. But she also paints heroic and godly figures from Judaism, Buddhism and the ancient Egyptian pantheon, as well as an abstract Islamic design. The images are not devotional, and can even be ever-so-slightly heretical. The artist’s version of an Eastern Orthodox icon depicts Russian-born Touchstone director Ksenia Grishkova — not a saint or a goddess, perhaps, but exalted by Levinson’s neon-hued neoclassicism.
Video Review: https://vimeo.com/283517074
Dee Levinson: Religions of the World On view through July 30 at Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Ave. NW. 202-347-2787.