Motion at Rest: The Transportation Art of Charlie Gould

Art for the Soul Gallery is proud to present Motion At Rest: The Transportation Art of Charlie Gould, the solo debut of an up-and-coming outsider painting his way around the rusty margins of New England! In bold colors and a gestural hand, Charlie finds dignity and soul in rusty engines, tired ships, and gutted cars, painting life into the remains of a bygone era of opportunity. These paintings are neither nostalgic pastiches of a simpler time, nor celebrations of the natural decay of the machine age. Rather, they exist torn between the two: they are collaborations between a mind concerned with the environmental and social impacts of “progress,” and a heart that never abandoned its childhood love of trains, ships, and the thrum of cities.

 

Motion at Rest is bound by the pride and purpose earned by performing meaningful labor. The locomotives, ships, and cars depicted in this exhibition were all built to work. Some still ply the rails, seas, and roads, while others have outlived their usefulness and have been left to rust. Three years ago, Charlie picked up a pencil and began to draw, searching for purpose and meaning beyond what his professional work brought him. Through paint, he has found fulfillment that he didn’t know he needed. Yet the anxiety remains: when youth has run its course and his body and mind refuse to work anymore, will the fulfillment earned remain? Motion at Rest replies as a memento mori: a life of purposeful labor may be rewarded with decay at the hand of time’s relentless elements.

 

In his paintings, Charlie freezes moments in the life and death of American transportation, snapshots of seasons warped by a changing climate, and contemporary views of an Industrial Era-world disintegrating into ruins. On his canvases, boards, and papers, in oil and watercolor, Charlie hopes to grant momentary respite to the weary machines that worked tirelessly to build this country, or failing that, to memorialize them for coming generations.

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Can't Attend The Opening Reception? Reserve Your Visit from May 18- June 22!

 

Viewings are free and open to the public by reservation only. Each session is 40 minutes and designed for an intimate, focused experience with the artwork. Please select from the available dates and times below to hold your spot. Click here to reserve your visit!

 

Come pause the world and seek refuge from the relentless march of time in Motion at Rest: The Transportation Art of Charlie Gould!