Lisa Breslow’s landscapes and cityscapes are an exercise in contrasts. Both the natural world and architectural grit have a place in her work, highlighting the pull of New York City created by these opposing forces existing side-by-side. Breslow distills her depictions of our surroundings down to their essence, creating atmospheric scenes activated by mood, energy, and light rather than a literal portrayal. Her streets and parks feel familiar, but not quite your own.

Attentive to subtle moments of harmony, Breslow’s cityscapes are snapshots of fleeting beauty. We know these roads are busy, these sidewalks are bustling, these blocks are loud, yet in Breslow’s world they are quiet and meditative. The tranquility of Central Park is a natural fit for this instinct, and is a regular star of her landscapes. Sensitive to the subtle changes throughout the day and intrigued by the aesthetic overhauls from season to season, Breslow makes each return to the park feel new. The excitement she has while building the lush reflections in the lake is evident.

In her latest work, Breslow expands on her tonalist sensibilities and emboldens her compositions with a more heightened and varied color palette. Her scenes revel in the interplay of light, color, and form, and capturing these elements with looser, broader brushstrokes has her work inching ever closer to abstraction. To resist being caught up in specificity, Breslow often turns her panels as she works to keep it fresh and less confined. Striving for a pared down simplicity, her paintings appear mirage-like. They do not represent the city as you see it day-to-day, but the city you imagine in your fondest memories.

Lisa Breslow has exhibited extensively in the United States, including recently at the Heritage Museum and the Heckscher Museum. She has been awarded two Pollock-Krasner Foundation awards, as well as an award from the National Academy Museum in New York, and was an Invited Artist at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. She lives and works in New York City.