A weekly shot of art in Vancouver.

Alessandro Papetti lives a fast-paced life, or so it seems from his work at the Buschlen Mowatt gallery. The rain-soaked streets of Europe flash by you in a blur of Alfa Romeos and Citroens. The effect is of a photograph captured with a long exposure, except with infinitely more detail and emotion. He makes time stand still and in that second makes it his own.

There are 3 themes to Papetti's work - causeways, industrial shipping docks and nude women. All subject matter gets the same treatment; thick, fast brushstrokes across a canvas almost devoid of colour. The cityscapes appear cold and tense while the nudes turn melancholy, almost bloodless. To be standing in a quiet empty gallery looking at his artwork is to be sucked in completely. The lines draw you physically towards the canvas and the detail in the tiny French windows, or the taillight of a passing car holds you.

This is a profoundly moving show and was up at the gallery for the month of November. Regrettably, it will be taken down today.

Buschlen Mowatt Gallery
1445 West Georgia

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