menursa

Comment

Comment by Jane Boyer on December 7, 2023 at 8:55am

Thank you so much for your insightful comments! This was a period of work where I was fascinated by gesture and anti-gesture, which at the time, I understood as more than chance occurrence, but a kind of residual trace of gesture that challenged the intention of gestural movement. So, for example, the starting gesture of this painting was placing the central line, or the spine as you call it, followed by rapid swipes both left and right of the spine with a straight-edge tool. The anti-gesture results are actually what form the painting and its readable content.This content is a firm grounding of the central line, and a creation of visual depth through what appears to be the cast of light and shadow at the base of the line, along with the movement that you describe in your comments. This visual stability of the line and the ground it conjures, the fluttering, and the apparent depth and distance these elements create were not created by my intention; they happened outside of my intention making this painting something other. It is neither chance nor intent, but a co-mingled doubling. The title, if I remember correctly, is a word I made up, but interestingly, it is similar to the word 'menura' whose roots in Latin mean 'new' and 'moon', and this is a subject I'm very engaged in with my current work exploring issues of eco-anxiety. Since posting this work, I have earned a PhD in Fine Art and have just been awarded a Certificate of Artistic Achievement from the Luxembourg Art Prize 2023, so it is indeed time to add some new work! Thank you again for your interest and considered comments.

Comment by Resident Curator on December 6, 2023 at 12:33pm

Curator’s Comments:

I enjoy the graphite and acrylic painting entitled Menursa, and find it to be equally robust and nuanced.  The smoky passages of black and powdered pigment appear to both attract and repel each other in this abstract diptych.  I enjoy the manner which the seam appears to function as a central spine within a relieved bilateral symmetry, animating the fluctuating organic movements. The center also functions as a thin visual rest between the opposing gestural halves.  While I didn’t recognize or relate the title to the piece specifically, the proportions and scale activate the painting in accordance with human dimensions. I would love to know more about your intent and process, and hope you continue to share new work if you are able.