Thursday, November 12, 2009

Curtis Erlinger: Photosynthesis

acrylic and carbon transfer on canvas.  14.75 x 18.25 inches.

-Currently on exhibit at the University of Missouri
-Exhibited nationally in New York and Pennsylvania
-Exhibited locally at 108 Occidental Gallery, 911 Media Arts Center, KAC, and SOIL Gallery

Photosynthesis addresses a dialogue between Impressionism and the newly established medium of photography. Although the Impressionists were "the first to consciously offer a subjective alternative to the photograph", they nevertheless were inspired by photography in its ability to capture a singular moment. As if looking through the lens of a camera, the backlit figure wearing glasses peers through a wilting sunflower, a snapshot gesture accentuating effects of light and the passage of time (perhaps time passing from Impressionism to Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionism). The surrounding subjective space of atmospheric wallpaper faintly suggests the influence of printmaking on Impressionism; the print is also a nod to Louis Leroy's Impressionist critique: "Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape." Photosynthesis relates to Erlinger's current body of work, as it examines the spectacle of life forgotten – the slippery territory surrounding the object of memory, mediated by the symbiotic relationship between painting and the seemingly unbiased truth of photography.

No comments:

Post a Comment