By: J. Block
Art for the past few years has been dominated by large concepts and commerce. The representatives in the field of painting were Bacon, Freud and to an extent Richier. These three painters were the market drivers; their canvases are heroic bold statements of paint and bravado, fleshy flesh, imposing slathers of paint and the visceral. It was in this heated arena that Peter Doig and his quirky paintings arrived.
Peter Doig opened a new show of paintings at the Michel Werner Gallery which is composed of three large canvases and a half dozen smaller works. On entering the gallery I was met with the scent of fresh turpentine sitting lightly on the air. I am sure that it was unintentional, yet it is a familiar and welcoming scent as if visiting a friends’ studio, the intimacy is echoed by the paintings presented in this show. Two of the three large canvases depict a sketchy stick-legged figure viewed from the back, with wings of a sort, outstretched; one canvas set in daylight and the other set at night. The strongest work is titled Mal D’estomac which is a mountain near Port of Spain or a gastrointestinal tract, depending on how you read the painting.
Doig is a painter and not a draftsman. His canvas surface is made of very thin washes of color overlaid with a compulsive intensity. The artist allows the paint to reveal his process with every stroke and emphasizes the shakiness of his drawn forms. Outlines and shapes are fluid, luminous color fields that push and bleed to define the central figures, yet always escape a solid definition of line. They have a feeling of the accidental and a real sentiment of shyness; this work is personal.
The third work, Mal D’estomac is not an easy painting to describe. The painting has the feel and look of an old super-8 movie- jerky and oddly colored, the sound scratchy and slightly hollow. It is the hollowness of sound and sense of motion that conveys a vastness and depth to this painting. The small canvases are mostly studies of his island home, nice but lacking the depth of feeling and intensity that the larger work conveys. I suspect that the gallery needed them to fill out the hallway to the backroom.
I have tremendous respect for the force of honesty and intent that his shimmering surfaces and uncertain figures impart. Doig is following a path of his own choosing, and he has the ability to wrestle a visual tension with paint and canvas that is both unique and compelling.
Exhibition can be viewed at Gavin Brown's enterprise and Michael Werner Gallery and runs through March 14th
Michael Werner Gallery
4 East 77 Street
Take the 6 Train to
Gallery hours: Mon to Sat 10 am to 6 pm
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise
Take the 1 Train to
Gallery hours: Tues to Sat, 10am to 6pm
Gallery websites: www.gavinbrown.biz, www.michaelwerner.com
The gallery is breath taking. I was amazed when i visited.
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