Morgan Lehman is pleased to present Up To You, Down To Me, David Rathman's first solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition presents Rathman's latest series of paintings and works on paper, which continue his exploration of everyday objects and experiences, and the stories they tell.
Rathman makes paintings that impart subjective, personal scenarios. They depict brief, fleeting narratives extracted from larger stories. Despite largely monochromatic palettes and modestly scaled works, his skill with watercolor results in dramatic atmospheric landscapes that create vivid and poignant vignettes. Rathman resonates with de Kooning's notion of "slipping glimpses"; the idea that there is beauty and meaning to be found in our ordinary day-to-day life and surroundings.
Rathman's paintings of forlorn basketball hoops, junked cars, cowboys, and rock 'n roll detritus are animated by his belief that "all objects, spaces, and people are connected to great amounts of energy." Rathman has focused his efforts in this series to expressing those energies, and to conveying the vulnerability and possibilities to be found in these iconic American images.
David Rathman lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1982. Rathman’s work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions in galleries and museums worldwide, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Walker Art Center (MN), the Whitney Museum of American Art (NY), the New Museum of Contemporary Art (NYC), and the Art Institute of Chicago (IL), among others.