By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The opening reception of Michael Bogdanow’s “Imaginary Worlds” art exhibition was held on Sunday, September 9, at the Gorse Mill Studios in Needham. The affable Bogdanow discussed the themes of his internationally recognized work and its progression. In the exhibition, his earlier colorful, glowing paintings of small human figures against global or universal backgrounds segued to his newest works, shining sculptures made of semi-precious stones, with some incorporating motors and light.
According to the Bogdanow’s description on the Gorse Mill Studios’ web site, “Whether the medium is paint, wood, clay, stone chips, beads, musical sounds, or words, my goal is always the same: reach the viewer or listener, engage, move, and inspire them, make them think and feel, and expose them to something new. My themes stretch across dance, music, life, love, dreams, the universe, Judaica, and more.”
Bogdanow’s paintings depicted small-scale dancers, musicians, or couples balanced against spare, universal or global backgrounds, showing the figures’ place in, and relationship with, the cosmos, with a slant of hopeful positive energy and a burst of bright color. In “Fiddler on the Roof,” Bogdanow painted a bright red background with orange buildings and accents of deep blue, brown, and white. The fiddler balanced on the roof on one foot, not unlike a dancer, while playing his music.
In a rare politically inspired work, Bogdanow painted an opened gate with a haiku inspired by a Bible verse: “OPEN UP OUR GATES/BECAUSE WE WERE ONCE STRANGERS/IN A FOREIGN LAND.” Silhouettes of a mother and child who passed through the gate faced a bright yellow, blue, and red sky.
Semi-precious stone figures leaped across a painted globe in the “Moondance.” A sculpture depicted a trumpet player leaning back and balancing on one foot while playing a tune in “Song of Freedom.” And, in the newest work in the show, “Delicate Balance,” a ballet dancer en pointe on one foot held the globe up with her hands while the sculpture turned and its shadow danced on the wall behind it.
You can learn more about Michael Bogdanow and see his work at MichaelBogdanow.com.
