Gallery space is perhaps the most essential element of how works of art are presented in an art exhibition. There are many choices an art gallerist has to make about how an artwork will be displayed and what  background it will have. One famous gallery space style is a white cube, which is characterized by a background with white walls and light generally coming from the ceiling. Interestingly, two galleries that my group and I visited are both examples of white cube spaces, but are also different in various ways. 

At the Amsterdam Whitney International Fine Art Gallery on 25th street between 10th and 11th Avenue, the white cube style is evident all throughout. One artist whose work stood out to me is JS Renand, a French painter with a collection of cityscape oil paintings. The first painting, titled “Sparking Eiffel Tower”, depicts the Eiffel tower illuminated in a bright, golden-yellow color on a dark blue night background. The base of the tower is situated around green trees next to a waterfront with a partial reflection of the tower on the water. Renand’s portrayal of the Eiffel Tower at night is beautiful, because of the distinction in color between the dark night and the bright tower which stands in the center of the painting and takes up most of the painting’s space. My eyes immediately glanced at this painting when I came into the room and more specifically I noticed the Eiffel Tower right away. It was only when I observed the painting in more detail that I noticed the details in the background. It is very interesting that this painting is in a white cube setting and is thus on a white wall with multiple other paintings. Despite Renand’s painting taking up only a small portion of the wall, both horizontally and vertically, and leaving ample space on top and on the bottom, it draws the visitor in with its magical and extraordinary mystique. In fact, it is such a contrast to the wall that it blends in perfectly once you take a long look at it, even better than many other lighter-colored paintings on white walls. Looking at this painting was so captivating that I felt like I was in Paris looking up at the Eiffel Tower at night rather than in a brightly-illuminated room of an art gallery in New York City. Another painting in this gallery I found fascinating is “Freddie Mercury” by Hayato Takano, a Los Angeles based artist who uses torn sheet music as a medium for his art. This work of art flows very well with the white wall it is on. Because the art is only greyish-black and white, the two colors stand out against each other. Furthermore, because the corners are dark, they fit well on the white wall, just as the Renand painting does. Takano made an interesting choice by making different parts of Freddie Mercury’s body in different shades, but they are very realistic to the shadows and outlines of a person’s face and hands in real life. It almost feels as if Mercury is looking down at us and we are revering him. Moreover, this is seen in the white outline around Mercury’s body on the work of art, putting emphasis on him in the center. Both Renand’s and Takano’s works that I am writing about are next to several other of the respective artists’ works of art. Thus, the theme of each artist’s different works of art is similar and the style is consistent. Thus, the fact that there isn’t just one work of art on the white wall makes the gallery feel complete and not so empty, but we are still able to focus on each work of art individually when we come closer and analyze it. Yet, they all flow into each other naturally, such as how Takano’s “Freddie Mercury” flows into his other works of art, such as the one of Elvis Presley two to the right. I particularly enjoyed this gallery’s summer-like vibe because of the white walls and a light tone to the paintings. 

On the same block as the Amsterdam Whitney is the Marlborough gallery, which has much larger, almost square-like, highly lifelike oil paintings, much more realistic than those at the Amsterdam Whitney. One noteworthy work of art is Alexandra Pacula’s “Fluttering Lumens,” which looks like a blurryish photograph of New York City at night from a rooftop. The sky is dark with a skyscraper on the left. There is a bridge in the distance and close to us are residential streets and buildings, which we can see the top of. There is a wide array of colors, including white, yellow, brown, gray, red, blue, and black, but they all fit well in the vibe of the painting and reflect the city’s atmosphere at night accurately. This painting takes up about two-thirds of the vertical distance of the wall, leaving several inches on the bottom and on the top. Moreover, compared to the previous gallery, there is more of a space between paintings. The white walls and light lighting create a feeling of serenity when looking at “Fluttering Lumens,” which made me feel as if I was on the roof looking down on the city in action at night, with a light breeze blowing and the sounds of passing cars and sirens far in the background. Because the colors of the painting contrast with the purely white walls and the paintings aren’t very close to each other, the painting stands out a lot and is easy to get attached to. Finally, a second painting I liked is Sunghee Jang’s “Floor,” which is made of oil on linen. It is fascinating how Jang filled most of the painting with either light or dark colors and had only a small part of the floor have red, yellow, and green colored reflections. This painting has a very realistic glossy wooden brown floor look, which stands out on the white wall. There are three vertical white stripes flowing onto the center of the painting from the top, blending naturally with the white wall from which they originate. There is such an interesting combination of darkness and light, which makes the dark parts of the painting seem less depressing and more appealing. If I were to speculate, I think that this painting may be looking forward into an art gallery from an elevation of approximately a foot off the floor, which is funny considering we are in an art gallery. Overall, as a person with minimal art experience or expertise, I can confidently say that I found that the white cube gallery spaces add an interesting perspective to the works of art in these galleries. Furthermore, I am interested in visiting more art galleries in Chelsea and all around the city.