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Scott Noel

Apples Of Pomona

April 4 – 27, 2024

Selected Works Thumbnails
Apple Tree In Morning Light  16" x 18"  Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Apple Tree In Morning Light

16" x 18"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

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Apples And Pumpkins  24" x 60"  Oil On Linen

Apples And Pumpkins (SOLD)

24" x 60"

Oil On Linen

Auditioning For Adam And Eve  78" x 180"  Oil On Linen

Auditioning For Adam And Eve

78" x 180"

Oil On Linen

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Blue Shelves With Self Portrait  50" x 48"  Oil On Linen

Blue Shelves With Self Portrait

50" x 48"

Oil On Linen

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Bowl Of Peaches  20" x 16"  Oil On Board

Bowl Of Peaches

20" x 16"

Oil On Board

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Dasha and Keira   62” x 74”  Oil On Linen

Dasha and Keira 

60” x 74”

Oil On Linen

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Discussing Dostoevsky  48" x 56"  Oil On Linen

Discussing Dostoevsky

48" x 56"

Oil On Linen

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Emily Visits The Studio  56" x 80"  Oil On Linen

Emily Visits The Studio

56" x 80"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Jan's Garden In August  28" x 80"  Oil On Linen

Jan's Garden In August

28" x 80"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Mossy Grotto  22" x 22"  Pastel And Acrylic

Mossy Grotto (SOLD)

22" x 22"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Parker St. Shootaround, Hippomenes And Atalanta  80” x 162”  Oil On Linen

Parker St. Shootaround, Hippomenes And Atalanta

80” x 162”

Oil On Linen

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Portrait of Emily  48” x 42”  Oil On Linen

Portrait of Emily

48” x 42”

Oil On Linen

Inquire
SL With Bouquet  30" x 44"  Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Bouquet (SOLD)

30" x 44"

Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Cake Pan  16" x 20"  Oil On Board

Still Life With Cake Pan

16" x 20"

Oil On Board

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Still Life With Donuts And Cherries  30" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Donuts And Cherries

30" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

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Still Life With Flying Squash  48" x 44"  Oil On Linen

Still Life With Flying Squash

48" x 44"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Still Life With Levitating Cake  70" x 54"  Oil On Linen

Still Life With Levitating Cake

70" x 54"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Study for Parker St. Shootaround  8” x 20”  Oil On Tracing Paper Mounted On Board

Study for Parker St. Shootaround (SOLD)

8” x 20”

Oil On Tracing Paper Mounted On Board

Study for Terrace St. Playground  12” x 18”  Pastel And Acrylic On Paper

Study for Terrace St. Playground

12” x 18”

Acrylic And Pastel On Paper

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Inquire
The Apples Of Pomona  24" x 60"  Oil On Linen

The Apples Of Pomona (SOLD)

24" x 60"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Two Tables, Two Rooms  54" x 52"  Oil On Linen

Two Tables, Two Rooms (SOLD)

54" x 52"

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Terrace St. Playground  97” x 138”  Oil On Linen

Terrace St. Playground

97” x 138”

Oil On Linen

Inquire
Vermont Apple Tree  16" x 18"  Pastel And Acrylic

Vermont Apple Tree (SOLD)

16" x 18"

Pastel And Acrylic

Vermont Trees  30" x 22"  Acrylic

Vermont Trees

30" x 22"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

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Inquire
Apple Tree In Morning Light  16" x 18"  Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Apple Tree In Morning Light

16" x 18"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Shop

Apples And Pumpkins  24" x 60"  Oil On Linen

Apples And Pumpkins (SOLD)

24" x 60"

Oil On Linen

Auditioning For Adam And Eve  78" x 180"  Oil On Linen

Auditioning For Adam And Eve

78" x 180"

Oil On Linen

Blue Shelves With Self Portrait  50" x 48"  Oil On Linen

Blue Shelves With Self Portrait

50" x 48"

Oil On Linen

Shop

Bowl Of Peaches  20" x 16"  Oil On Board

Bowl Of Peaches

20" x 16"

Oil On Board

Shop

Dasha and Keira   62” x 74”  Oil On Linen

Dasha and Keira 

60” x 74”

Oil On Linen

Discussing Dostoevsky  48" x 56"  Oil On Linen

Discussing Dostoevsky

48" x 56"

Oil On Linen

Emily Visits The Studio  56" x 80"  Oil On Linen

Emily Visits The Studio

56" x 80"

Oil On Linen

Jan's Garden In August  28" x 80"  Oil On Linen

Jan's Garden In August

28" x 80"

Oil On Linen

Mossy Grotto  22" x 22"  Pastel And Acrylic

Mossy Grotto (SOLD)

22" x 22"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Parker St. Shootaround, Hippomenes And Atalanta  80” x 162”  Oil On Linen

Parker St. Shootaround, Hippomenes And Atalanta

80” x 162”

Oil On Linen

Portrait of Emily  48” x 42”  Oil On Linen

Portrait of Emily

48” x 42”

Oil On Linen

SL With Bouquet  30" x 44"  Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Bouquet (SOLD)

30" x 44"

Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Cake Pan  16" x 20"  Oil On Board

Still Life With Cake Pan

16" x 20"

Oil On Board

Shop

Still Life With Donuts And Cherries  30" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Donuts And Cherries

30" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

Still Life With Flying Squash  48" x 44"  Oil On Linen

Still Life With Flying Squash

48" x 44"

Oil On Linen

Still Life With Levitating Cake  70" x 54"  Oil On Linen

Still Life With Levitating Cake

70" x 54"

Oil On Linen

Study for Parker St. Shootaround  8” x 20”  Oil On Tracing Paper Mounted On Board

Study for Parker St. Shootaround (SOLD)

8” x 20”

Oil On Tracing Paper Mounted On Board

Study for Terrace St. Playground  12” x 18”  Pastel And Acrylic On Paper

Study for Terrace St. Playground

12” x 18”

Acrylic And Pastel On Paper

Shop

The Apples Of Pomona  24" x 60"  Oil On Linen

The Apples Of Pomona (SOLD)

24" x 60"

Oil On Linen

Two Tables, Two Rooms  54" x 52"  Oil On Linen

Two Tables, Two Rooms (SOLD)

54" x 52"

Oil On Linen

Terrace St. Playground  97” x 138”  Oil On Linen

Terrace St. Playground

97” x 138”

Oil On Linen

Vermont Apple Tree  16" x 18"  Pastel And Acrylic

Vermont Apple Tree (SOLD)

16" x 18"

Pastel And Acrylic

Vermont Trees  30" x 22"  Acrylic

Vermont Trees

30" x 22"

Acrylic And Pastel On Board

Shop

“Painting beautiful people and things in beautiful light, indeed finding almost every moment of perception a candidate for this beauty, I wonder if a certain fidelity to the ever-renewed ripening of an orchard through all its necessary stages of metamorphosis isn’t an analogy for the privilege of painting.”

- Scott Noel,

The Apples of Pomona, 2024 catalog

Scott Noel - Apples Of Pomona - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Still Life With Bouquet, 30″ x 44″, Oil On Canvas

Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Apples of Pomona, an exhibition of new works by Scott Noel showcasing a vibrant array of new oil paintings and several acrylic and pastel works on rag board. Each painting is alive with Noel’s spirited intention to, “vary and reconfigure painting’s visual eloquence to express the beauty of the world”.  While the small to medium-sized paintings range in subject from the nude to still-life and landscape, the exhibition is anchored by three monumental, multi-panel figure compositions that demonstrate Noel’s devotion to layered narratives, sophisticated color mixing and his signature painterly touch. These large-scale pieces draw on the themes and archetypes of ancient to contemporary times, masterfully transforming everyday neighborhood scenes into settings where the grand narratives of Western drama unfold.

 

In Apples of Pomona, two of Noel’s largest paintings feature scenes from the basketball court, using the sport’s inherent rhythm and movement as metaphors for broader human interactions. Complex and enthralling, Parker St. Shootaround, Hippomenes and Atalanta, measures over six feet tall and thirteen feet wide and depicts an impossible number of games unfolding simultaneously on a single court. This work, titled after the mythic race between the swift-footed Atalanta and her suitor Hippomenes, offers an allegory for the playful, yet competitive, dynamics of modern relationships. It could also suggest a commentary on the complexities of today’s digital interactions—where multiple conversations and connections, each within their own sphere, occur all at once on the stage of virtual reality. In this canvas, even the logos adorning the players’ shoes speak to the wider cultural narrative of brand allegiance, yet another type of association. Noel comments, “The Jazz-like rhythm of the playground is, of course, full of cultural and political associations. The movements of basketball can be beautiful and, at times, cathartic. Spins and crossovers are dance-like steps.” Indeed, amid the chaos of the twenty figures and eleven basketballs, a sense of order and choreography is revealed, each player’s movement a part of a greater dance orchestrated by the artist.

 

Scott Noel - Apples Of Pomona - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Noel’s vast oeuvre evokes a lineage that connects antiquity and the Italian Renaissance with the expressive impulses of Degas and the bold innovations of the Modernists, positioning Noel in the esteemed company of contemporary perceptualists and magical realists. Stimulated by the perpetual confluence of intuition, imagination, perception, scientific theories, mythology and conventional understandings vs. moment to moment consciousness, Noel’s own artistic practice can also be viewed as allegory. When painting, he traverses through the sacred orchard of the Roman goddess Pomona, absorbing and embracing all that surrounds him. Much like Vertumnus, Pomona’s suitor, he is in pursuit of something eternal and beautiful. He summarily opines, “Artists search for a form with enough amplitude to contain everything they care about, everything, however embarrassing, they have loved. For me, painting doesn’t simply show the world, but makes a world so replete, so richly textured, our experience becomes clearer, more nuanced and more meaningful.”

Image Left: Portrait of Emily, 48" x 42", Oil On Linen

 

Scott Noel is an artist and educator who has lived and worked in Philadelphia for over forty years. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the country, notably at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, Hollins University in Virginia, and The Bowery Gallery in New York City. His pieces are featured in prominent collections including the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and many others. Apples of Pomona marks Noel’s thirteenth exhibition with Gross McCleaf Gallery.

 

Scott Noel - Apples Of Pomona - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Emily Visits The Studio, 56″ x 80″, Oil On Linen

Exhibition Dates:

April 4 - 27, 2024

Reception & Meet the Artist:
Saturday, April 6, 1 - 4 pm

Videos

Scott Noel featured in John Thornton’s film Scott Noel, Painting Ideas

Video Description: “Scott Noel and I talk about his 44 year career as a figurative painter based in Philadelphia.” - John Thornton