Rob Merton "
Pretty Pictures"
December 4, 2009 - January 31, 2010 


BOSTON, Dec. 4, 2009 – Gallery Benoit is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition of the work of painter Robert F. Merton.  The showing, Pretty Pictures, is comprised of expressionistic acrylic paintings, ranging from delicate 12x12 panels to breathtaking 48x48 signature pieces.  Merton’s recent paintings actively engage the viewer with luminescent metal filings and micas, tactile textures, rich jewel-tone pigments and a unique pooling technique, creating sweeping abstractions that evoke the sensation of glacial lakes, volcanic flows and other natural marvels.  

 Using swift, bold knife and brush strokes and a radiant color palette, the artist unabashedly embraces the themes of surface beauty and harmony, while conscious of the underlying undercurrents of melancholic introspection.  Merton’s layered compositions celebrate the exquisite; his abstract paintings invite his viewers to appreciate emotional vistas that others overlook.

A Boston native, Merton has painted professionally for two years.  In 2009, he exhibited solo shows at galleries in Miami and Washington, DC, as well as in a group show in Boston.  Merton’s works are on display in private collections and commercial real estate in New York City, Cambridge, San Francisco, Washington, DC and the Hamptons (NY). The exhibition will be on view from December 4 – January 31st at Gallery Benoit, 450 Harrison Ave., #63, Boston, Mass.