Franklin<\/em>, an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Nat Meade, marking his third solo presentation with the gallery. The show is on view through April 18, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe emotional arc of life\u2019s struggles and triumphs take shape within Meade\u2019s figurative works, reflecting the artist\u2019s everyday experiences as he navigates being a father, son, partner, and academic. Far from portraits of actual individuals, his protagonists mirror timeless archetypes. At times, we encounter a lone traveler searching for existential validation; at other times, we see through intergenerational dynamics. This allegorical distance via painting provides a realm for Meade to explore personal challenges through absurd, somber, and humorous tropes, while also furnishing a space rife with human nature that bears unequivocal resonance.<\/p>\n
Meade\u2019s reflections on his relationship with his father after his recent passing, and subsequent reevaluations of his own role as a parent percolate throughout the works in the exhibition. Vulnerability, pain, and mortality are themes Meade does not shy away from, yet the introduction of younger males in this body of work casts a sense of hope, acceptance, reconciliation, and renewal.<\/p>\n
Faced with a pair of dangling legs from a cloud in\u00a0Poise<\/em>, we question whether a figure is ascending or descending from the heavens, a suggestion perhaps on the interchangeability of birth and death, be it physical or spiritual. Ghostly specters hover over certain individuals \u2013 a metaphor for inherited trauma and release. In the same way that a soul peels away from an expiring body in classic cartoons, we observe a spirit looking back on itself with what might be\u00a0 happiness or regret. The exhibition\u2019s title\u00a0Franklin<\/em>\u00a0is a subtle nod to the 1974 horror film\u00a0Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/em>, known for its portrayal of a deranged patriarchal family. Meade embraces this inner turmoil of contending with one\u2019s violent and antagonistic impulses as his characters are visibly sublimated or put in their place. A vulture picking away at a corpse recalls the eternal punishment of Prometheus by Zeus, while a bearded figure on his hands and knees echoes William Blake\u2019s portrayal of\u00a0Nebuchadnezzar<\/em>, condemned for his lust for power.\u00a0<\/p>\nIn contrast to the adults, Meade\u2019s younger figures appear more harmonious. A young boy charts his own path as he steers a boat with a radiant torch, unclouded by societal and familial pressures. A sense of childlike wonder and adventure beholds an adolescent ankle-deep in a secluded cove, reaching in to touch the sea floor brilliantly covered in starfish, anemones, and mussels. In a related work, we observe two pairs of legs belonging to father and son in the same shallow pool, one tenderly guiding the other. Having in the past shown his figures wrestling with or victims of forces of nature, physically being overtaken by turbulent wind and crashing waves, Meade\u2019s focus on calmer seas signals a turning point. He recognizes the need to acknowledge one\u2019s rocky histories in order to heal and release future generations from similar burdens. Despite what may seem like an insurmountable heaviness, he reminds us of the stubborn resilience of human nature, making progress attainable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n