Thursday, December 15, 2016

Wedge in the Door

door stop, 72"x72", oil on canvas

"Paintings are handmade, one-of-a-kind, extremely fragile objects. They're absurd. Extravagant. Intrinsically worthless. And seeing paintings is an experience you absolutely must have in person - in real life. Direct human contact is the point."

"Is it still possible for someone to sit down in front of a easel and paint something? Is this basically late medieval method still capable of producing interesting results in a world in constant acceleration and in which images are endlessly being captured and stored away? Possibly more than ever: in a world in which most image capturing and storing is indiscriminate, inattentive and even automated, the painter's intent and minute attention to life and the rhythms of life has become a radical position. 

Painting offers an option. Its slower rhythms allow for a more intimate connection to human perception (which is true both from the point of view of the artist and the viewer). But is also allows the depiction of an imaginary realm, an investigation into what connects human beings to places and space."

Dan Witz