abstract

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on January 17, 2015 at 4:15pm

Funny how that happens sometimes- we can labor and obsess over our work and squeeze the life out of it. I tend to overwork my paintings rather than leave them underdeveloped. We need friends to walk in our studios and take our work away from us.

Comment by Michael Steven Nicolaou on January 16, 2015 at 2:31pm

Thank you! This is an office installation I did a few years back and I just found the photo. It measures 34"x46" and I used a magazine photo of a painting for inspiration. Using cad yellow to finish the dark contrast made for a delightful optical illusion. Not thinking too much and quick sporadic gestures seem to favor this paintings complete composition from what I recall. It's always the ones I complete in less than 30 minutes that end up winning. Ha!

Comment by Resident Curator on January 16, 2015 at 9:33am

Curator’s Comments:

 

This mesmeric pastoral landscape simply titled Abstract is an attention grabbing piece. While I can’t ascertain the actual medium or scale, the image has a hazy focus that could be the result of a digitally manipulated photography, or a traditional oil painting.  The luminous color sets the grass off as slightly surreal, but the understated manipulation of the subject still bridges the representational nature of the landscape with more subjective abstraction.   I find it interesting and perhaps mysterious that the tree line contains two peaks that sway slightly inward in the picture plane, framing a (questionable) light source.  The ground is faintly illuminated as well, against the darker contrasting tree line.   I also respond to the elongated horizontal format of the piece.  It stretches the eye to appreciate the expanse of soundless space, waiting for action or event.