Downtown Blue (2007) Painting by Allan Linder

Great care has been taken to create a memorable series of artwork. This is an original painting of acrylic on canvas which was exhibited in several galleries over the years. The piece depicts a scene on the West Side of Manhattan on a rainy day.

Allan Linder is an award-winning artist with 25 yrs. of experience painting, drawing storyboards for film & TV, character design & animation.

Analysis and critique by David Genovesi director
ARTROM Gallery Rome, Italy

Allan Linder has an interesting history. He’s seen a lot of art in his days, from the inside. This has certainly honed his eye. What I note immediately is a general desire in his work to enter as deep into the painting as possible, to penetrate the surface barrier and offer a big view. The perspective is effective in achieving this result and it is enhanced with lights and reflections.

Technically Linder is there. Nothing is out of place and it is obvious that a good deal of planning goes into his work. The talent that is evident in his paintings is the ability to create a mood, a sensual style that is inviting and draws the viewer in. This is enhanced by the misty, slightly out-of-focus overall effect. Linder is a painter in the best sense of the word. I notice he sometimes paints over a pre-textured surface which is interesting.

There is a tendency to slip over onto the sentimental side, the scenes sometimes become a bit "dreamy" and ideal, sometimes pretty. Linder wants to please his audience but they are not tested in any way, which of course is not a crime. His work has great appeal, I'm sure he knows that, but they may lack that "unpredictable" element. Nonetheless, the paintings are impressive.

What is most evident is the treatment of the light from the sky, from the water, from the streetlights, from the reflected buildings. Light is the protagonist in this work, almost above the subject matter. The triangles he uses to divide the canvas are brilliant compositional devices. The slightly higher vantage point into the painting places the viewer as an observer of the scene and not a participant.

The dark umber under the fence serves as a strong, firm foundation and grounding device. The eye is led into and around the painting discovering the details that are nicely modeled where they need to be and left a bit vague where they are not necessary. All the elements in the painting, including the deep, rich, saturated color reinforce and enhance the appreciation of the spectacle he presents.

In "Downtown Blue" the sensations are transmitted. Similar to the sensations generated by the French Impressionists, with a slightly Pop sensibility thrown in. Linder has an eye for composition and the balance of forces within the painting. This painting, more than the others, is witness to that.

Related themes

New York CityRainSunsetManhattanThe Big Apple