art, so much more than beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Yevgeniy Solotsev, the featured artist for this year’s Bountiful/Davis Summerfest International, uses style to effect much of a painting’s impact. The artist, whose work is on display at the Bountiful/Davis Art Center now through Sept. 21, can turn exactly the same moment into a dream, a nightmare or a party.

The shift is most startling when the subjects are identical. The artist’s statement displayed with the paintings says that Solostev has developed a recent fascination with tango. The result is a sensitivity to the many shades of passion the dance can inspire.

In his larger paintings, the dancing feels bold, maybe even a little wild, speckled with the glittering half light of a boisterous dance club. Even in a still painting, you can tell the dance gestures are bold, and can feel the music inspiring them thumping against your own skin.

Also on a display is a series of watercolor sketches showing dancers in nearly identical positions. Here, the feeling is more delicate, slow and graceful rather than bold and wild. This is a dance done in a sunlit, empty ballroom, where a slower rhythm can be gently savored.

For more information check out the July 26 edition of Davis Clipper.