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Gallery for Ian Hart |
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Artist Statement from Resolutions:
Paintings from 2002:
In the late fall of 2001, I found myself with my own dedicated studio for the first time in my life. I made a resolution that in 2002 I would take advantage of this space - by blocking off my Monday evenings and dedicating them to painting. As much as I love to paint, this wasn't always easy - after a full day of work, it often took a self-delivered kick in the pants to get myself into the studio. But more often than not, once I was painting I didn't want to stop. The result is "Resolutions": seventeen paintings, fourteen of which are being shown at SCAT. The show is displayed roughly in chronological order, starting with the four pumpkins on the right as you come in, and moving counterclockwise. At the beginning of 2002, September 11 was still very much on my mind. The first six paintings of the year ("Collapse 1-3," "Autumn '01," are shown, "Fight" and "Flight" are not) were all inspired by the terrorist attacks and the resulting state of affairs. With the still lifes, I was very much aware of the imagery of the attacks, the parallel towers having become so burned in my mind that I could find them anywhere - even in the shadow of a pumpkin's stem. In March I began work on "The Ultimate Player," in part a celebration of the sport of Ultimate Frisbee and a personal return to large-scale figurative work. The bulk of the painting was done from drawings and photos, and it was a piece that challenged me throughout the year. The three female nudes were all painted in a classroom setting. "1/4 portrait (cold)" is probably my favorite piece in the show. I go into most of my paintings with a vision of how I expect it will turn out. This painting is the best representation of what I envisioned when I first touched my brush to the canvas. The final three pieces in the show, "Plastic" and "Devaluation 1 and 2" were born out of mid-Autumn brooding. I spent much time during these paintings reflecting on the fleetingness of life and the permanence of our waste. The lilies in "Plastic" are as plastic as the shopping bags that make up the background. Similarly, the skull in the "Devaluation" paintings is also plastic. At a time in our history when our leaders seem to pay only lip service to the value of human and natural life, these indestructible landfill-clogging items will offer future generations a cruel joke of a legacy. Not to end on a down note, the small pomegranate paintings were a lot of fun. They were the two quickest paintings I did this year, and the smallest oil paintings I have done in some time. Much thanks to the Filene's fruit vendor for having such fine specimens when I needed last-minute subject-matter. |