The centerpiece of this show of 18 works is a group of four large allegorical oil paintings, full of clarity and ambition. In these - perhaps Erlebacher's most powerful work to date - the surprising thing is that she isn't pulling us into her world; instead, she is insisting we closely examine our own. Concerned with life itself - childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age - the paintings are moving, restlessly inventive, and life-affirming.

The allegorical episodes are meant to focus the mind on themes we're not used to encountering in art. There is taut lyricism in the first, a joyful painting of children interacting with doves, and a strong, almost colloquial "voice" of the artist's Elkins Park neighbors, some of whom posed for the other three of these masterly large works. There's meticulous, virtuoso craft and a naturalist's energy along with sensuous handling of paint here. Subjects always are portrayed from direct observation.

Erlebacher's "Cycle of Life" and related pieces celebrate the mind's aspiration to a deeper understanding of its own mysteries throughout all of life. The artist, a frequent exhibitor at galleries in New York, Chicago, and up and down the West Coast, introduces these recent major works for her hometown audience to savor.

Seraphin Gallery  l  Contemporary Philadelphia Art Gallery and Art Consultant 
1108 Pine St.  l  215-923-7000  l  seraphin@seraphingallery.com