An opening reception for Divine Providence: New paintings by Umberto Crenca will be held downtown on Westminster Street this Thursday. I can’t think of anyone with more to show for the quarantine year than Mr. Crenca. (I almost learned French.) I can’t remember when the first one showed up, but whenever one of these gems would appear in my feed, I would pause and smile. They are captivating.
Mr. Crenca manages to find the divine in the working class neighborhoods and busy streetscapes of our town: the beauty in a chain link fence and vinyl siding. Most (maybe all) are 11″ x 14″, acrylic on canvas.
In his ongoing series of paintings Divine Providence, Crenca hones in on urban “sidewalk scapes”, casting a loving but unsentimental eye on the urban neighborhoods in and around Providence. Approximately 35 paintings will be exhibited, including two commissioned works.
Accompanying the paintings will be printed poems by Rhode Island-based poet Jon Woodson. He was inspired by the paintings to write a series of poems.
The exhibit will be open through September 27, with gallery hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 5pm. (All Covid-19 prevention practices will be in effect.)
This event could be well-attended — there’s a lot of pent up ‘let’s go out’ energy and Mr. Crenca knows everyone — so use your judgment. We can just force him to make more paintings.
Opening reception, 5pm to 8pm, Thursday, September 10, 233 Westminster Street, (directions)
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Ocean State Tackle is one of my favorite photo subjects, but Crenca has filled it with the activity of a bustling neighborhood.
(We write about this place every year at the start of trout season.)