Finding Majesty in Big D

Ask a local the best vantage point for viewing the Dallas skyline and chances are you won’t get a single answer. Increasingly colorful, but not like a gauche, glittering Las Vegas, the cityscape is more vertical than horizontal and naturally lends itself to the eye of Austin-based painter David Leonard,...

By Brentney Hamilton

December 15, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Ask a local the best vantage point for viewing the Dallas skyline and chances are you won’t get a single answer. Increasingly colorful, but not like a gauche, glittering Las Vegas, the cityscape is more vertical than horizontal and naturally lends itself to the eye of Austin-based painter David Leonard, whose exhibition, Art With a View, runs at the Norwood Flynn Gallery through January 11. Finalist for the Hunting Prize, Leonard’s oil on canvas pieces evoke a sense of majesty, whether Dallas’ famous skyscrapers are featured as a mere backdrop to a wider landscape, or more prominently in close-ups as though the viewer is waiting to cross at a light on Elm Street. Geometric, with bold lines that capture the city’s vertiginous grandeur, Leonard paints with a tempered realism that subtly but strikingly highlights the variegated palette of life downtown. Free to the public, Norwood Flynn is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at 3318 Shorecrest Drive. Call 214-351-3318 or visit norwoodflynngallery.com for more details.
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: Dec. 21. Continues through Jan. 11, 2011

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.