SHARA HUGHES – AT ARM’S LENGTH
2019-08-05In her new paintings, Shara Hughes further develops what she refers to as invented or psychological landscapes. These landscapes do not depict real places but rather are created from inside, this inside is strongly informed by a deep knowledge of art history as well as the work of her contemporary peers. Her frenetic colors and vibrant brushstrokes, her vivid lines, heavily applied marks, and monochromatic fields show traces of fin de siècle styles, such as Fauvism, Art Nouveau, or German Expressionism.
The landscapes Hughes has created for At Arm’s Length differ greatly from one another with regard to format, style, and color, but begin to feel familiar after a while. They all include a valley, mountains, and a lake that is closer or farther away. They all seem to depict the same location from different angles as if one reached it from divergent paths. Most of the paintings are composed of two or more layers: the foreground serves as the point of view and as a barrier, which creates a distance to the far away lake. The tension created by this depth effect focuses the eye and evokes a longing to reach the center of the painting. This distance would be difficult to travel, and yet the landscapes do not provoke despair, but instead meditatively lead to their cores.
Opposite – At Full Tilt, 2018
Exhibition runs through to August 17th, 2019
Galerie Eva Presenhuber
Kastro
840 07
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