Return To Forever

Mythology for our Times - Landscapes of the Lakes- Brian Keeler

The New Show At the West End Gallery in Corning, NY- March 20th- April 23, 2026

For this new exhibit of paintings at the West End Gallery I will present several traditional landscapes with a group of mythology-inspired works. I regard mythology, specifically in the Greco- Roman tradition, as an inspiring point of departure. These myths offer a starting point as they provide a basic theme to elaborate upon or to invent new interpretations.

The broader term "allegory" is perhaps more apt as a description of my works. Allegory refers more generally to imagery or poetry with a message and not just from ancient Mediterranean cultures. 

Above- "Seneca Icarus- Rendezvous with a Cadillac" Oil on pentagon linen panel. This painting takes the Icarus and Daedeuls theme into a Finger Lakes setting. The imagery was invented including the light and perspective of the town.

Above- Allegory of "Grace- Seneca August Light" a new painting by the author using a shaped - arched panel. The dancing graces are derived from a bronze statue by the 19th century sculptor Carpeaux. That sculpture is in the Clark Art Institute Museum in Williamstown, MA. View a video of a study of this being created- the link is at the bottom.

The Narrative and the Tradition-

 The stories of mythology, represent some of the images and narratives of our culture and art. They are regarded not as final end points (when creating these paintings) to be adhered to in a servile way but open-ended invitations that allow for elaboration.  My current show at the West End Gallery includes a group of these works that take iconic myths like the Icarus story and reinvent them into Finger Lakes settings. They often entail imagining the settings somewhat based on locales of the region.  The creation of the landscapes refer to other American artists who did similar illustrative work, such as Grant Wood. Think of his painting of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" where Wood takes a bird's eye view over a New England town.

The title of this essay "Return to Forever" is taken from a jazz-fusion group of the 1970's with Chick Corea as the leader.  The relevance here is the fusion aspect and the return aspect as well.  The fusion is taking traditional landscapes and interspersing them with a kind of magical myth. Or as an out-of-context sighting- say, like an Elvis sighting - with that kind of levity.  The return aspect is that this allegorical genre is a type of imagery that I have done throughout my career--but not shown in quite a while here at the West End Gallery.  So these allegories are returning but with a new approach- both conceptually and some with a new medium, egg tempera. And the "forever" aspect is the timelessness of some myths, as they can still be relevant after 2,500 years.

The myths of the ancients were often moral tales with the Gods behaving rather poorly with punitive and nasty intent.  I prefer to create a new narrative as I paint these with a more salubrious and light-hearted story.  Take Daphne and Apollo, for example.  In its original form this is somewhat of a tale of seeking a virtue- but not too heavy.  Daphne's flight and transformation or metamorphosis into a laurel tree leaves us somewhat forlorn and nonplussed.  At any rate the  morphing of the human into  a plant before our eyes captivates us in Ovid's tale.  I took the amazing statue by Bernini in the Borghese Gallery in Rome as the source here. It is truly a spectacular and virtuosic marble tour-de-force that can make us swoon.  The gleaming white marble with delicate nuances of human anatomy, all articulated with deft skill, helps an artist making a new version. The swirling two-figure composition by Bernini shows an intertwined movement and grace.  In the version shown in this show the metamorphosis occurs in a nocturne over Keuka Lake- with a type of self portrait- with me standing outside of my truck.  It is as if driving while looking for a landscape, a miraculous myth has just occurred.

For this show, these allegories are portrayed within shaped frames for the larger oil paintings.  I had carpenter Wayne Gottlieb make these arched, and pentagon formats to my specifications.  I have some polyptych (multi-panel) panels yet to paint.  The inspiration for these was in part from viewing the paintings from medieval and Renaissance era works mostly from Italy but in northern Europe as well. For instance, the paintings of Fra Angelico and many others were often housed in elaborate shaped frames.  They were almost always commissioned by the Catholic Church and used as altar pieces or for private devotional purposes in homes. 

The other aspect of this show that harkens back to the Renaissance are the new egg tempera paintings.  This medium  goes back to Egyptian antiquity but it remained in use as the main method of artists in Italy before the advent of oil painting.  I took a class last summer in Rome with Michael Bergt, a modern master of egg tempera.  His work also plumbs ancient myth with figurative allegories. So it was a good fit.  The setting for the class was in the ancient Jewish Quarter in Rome. While there, I started this series of egg tempera allegories - which take Bernini's vision (and others) into Finger Lakes settings. It was great fun.  During the evenings I would paint plein air studies of the Tiber River and cityscapes of Rome. The golden light is particularly beautiful there and described by an author I  know, Anthony Di Renzo, as the color of "Orvieto Classico," the golden-colored white wine of Umbria.

Above-  "Vernal Equinox- Seneca." This large-scale oil by the author depicts a view over Seneca Lake near Burdett, NY. This new 36" x 40" oil on linen on panel is part of the new show at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY.

The exhibit includes 22 new paintings - done mostly within the past ten months- so it has been a productive period.  The show also includes my landscapes of Seneca and Keuka Lake scenes.  These traditional landscapes are often begun en plein air and finished in the studio. Even the large format works are sometimes begun out of doors.  I truly love painting directly from nature.  And the landscapes around these lakes offer a variety of inspiring views. Whether it is the rolling hills and vineyards, historic houses and farms or the towns of the region, the views offer plenty of inspiration. 

With the landscapes, the beauty of the scene and the process of creating them is enough and they need not have an overlay of meaning of social context or narrative statement. So unlike the allegories, the landscapes are statements of light and composition that are sufficient on their own.  A wonderful book by Jed Perl,  Authority and Freedom is a virtual support manifesto for the plein air artist or realist painter.  Perl believes that art need not have a social message or polemic to foist on the viewer.  I concur. 

This new show at the West End Gallery marks my 33rd year of being represented here. It is a real honor to be part of this beautiful gallery- so well run by Jesse and Lin Gardner.

For more information and to view the show on the gallery website- https://www.westendgallery.net

Above-  Drawing at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA - from the Bronze of the Three Graces by Carpeaux.

View a video here- https://www.westendgallery.net

To view presentation about the creation of these allegories - I show the drawing stage of the Icarus painting and explain about other works in this series - https://youtu.be/kY-lGGLWLfk?si=Wcuk6DWS7Xl2RBWz

Above- Brian Keeler demonstrating the painting process for a landscape in oil at the West End Gallery on March 28,2026. To view a recap of the first session go to this link- https://youtu.be/CTQtoDoYIhA?si=9vITk85xZr1xRjJG