michael quadland - Behnke • Doherty Gallery
Transcription
michael quadland - Behnke • Doherty Gallery
JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE: THE GRID SERIES PA I N T I N G S B Y M I C H A E L Q UA D L A N D BEHNKE • D OHERTY G ALLERY American & Asian Fine Arts A t first glance, Michael Quadland’s paintings appear deceptively simple. Yet upon closer study, they reveal themselves to be extraordinarily complex. He is perhaps most readily described as a Color Field painter, and indeed his work is deeply influenced by the Abstract Expressionist Color Field painters of the 1940’s and 1950’s whose large expanses of flat, solid color literally spread across the canvas in vast fields of unbroken surface. There are clear antecedents to his paintings in the early works of Clifford Still, Barnett Newman and Hans Hofmann. But these artists focused first and foremost on consistency of form and surface and consciously de-emphasized brushstroke and texture. 2 1 By scratching out a seemingly endless configuration of grids, squares, and lines, Quadland infuses his paintings with intense energy. F 3 or Quadland, while saturated color is essential to creating the overall mood of a piece, it is not the end goal in and of itself. Building his paintings painstakingly layer by layer and then selectively scraping away what he has laid down, he creates extraordinary depth and mystery. Color is at one moment revealed, and in the next hidden. The resulting shades and hues enter into dialogue with each other. The impact on the viewer is as much emotional as visual. B ut Quadland then takes things a step further. By scratching out a seemingly endless configuration of grids, squares, and lines, the artist infuses his paintings with intense energy. Upon reflection, his works seem to constantly transform themselves as different elements of underlying patterns alternately take the forefront, only to recede and grant prominence of place to another arrangement. The result is an ever-changing vision of immense dynamism. His works immediately bring to mind Robert Richenburg’s masterful “black paintings” of 1958-64 in which the artist literally scraped away the canvas’s surface to reveal all that was already going on underneath. M 5 ichael Quadland began his artistic career as an undergraduate art major at Dartmouth College. A multiple decade hiatus ensued during which he focused on a career in clinical psychology and teaching. It is only recently that he has come full circle and returned to his roots as an artist. The intervening years spent uncovering hidden emotion and inner complexity have clearly not been lost but rather serve to inform his art. Now he leaves to the viewer the task of unraveling the mysteries that lie just beneath the surface. 6 4 His works seem to constantly transform themselves as different elements of underlying patterns alternately take the forefront. Litchfield Green Acrylic on Board 27 ½” x 45” Arousal Nine Acrylic on Board 48” x 48” 1 Elaboration Acrylic on Board 24” x 48” 2 Smolder Red Acrylic on Board 48” x 24” 3 Loose Weave Acrylic on Board 48” x 48” 4 Nine Nine Acrylic on Board 24” x 24” 5 New Growth Acrylic on Board 24” x 24” 6 Teal Gray Acrylic on Board 16” x 16” Front Cover 6 Green Hill • Washington Depot, CT 06794 | 860.868.1655 | [email protected] behnkedohertygallery.com