MARGARET LAZZARI: BREATHING SPACE
September 10 - October 8, 2022
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VIEWING ROOM | ARTSY
ARTIST STATEMENT - 2022
I made these paintings in 2021 and 2022, during a period of considerable upheaval and media agitation. I like to think of these paintings as separate spaces for one's mind to meditate, make free associations, work through conflicts, find patterns, trace movements, and revel in new color combinations.
Like my previous paintings, these new works are about the space around us, which metaphorically references the space within us. They hint at the wonder of life around us, and also at times the chaotic, mysterious or frightening aspects of our inner and outer worlds.
I think a sense of movement is strong in many of these works, whether it is the rushing crash of CASCADE or the gentle mixing of waters in FLOATING POOLS. Transformations are also important, as in WINTER, which is when a frozen, monochrome state changes into a gradual thaw with subtle color.
Water and light continue to inspire my work. Water fills the oceans as a liquid, but as vapor it fills the sky. It has weight, exerts tremendous force, and can break down light into small rainbows. Water and light seem to mix in paintings like YOSEMITE SPRING. RAIN is based on the effects of light shining through a moisture-filled atmosphere.
My paintings continue to be influenced by historical landscape art, especially those expressing transcendence, like Ansel Adams photographs, 19th century English landscapes, or the American luminist painters of the late 1800s. All suggest landscape paintings do more than just record surface features; they are studies of the structure of the physical world and evocative of human emotions. I also have been inspired by the paintings of Joan Mitchell and the way Jennifer Packer uses color in her portraits.
Like my previous paintings, these new works are about the space around us, which metaphorically references the space within us. They hint at the wonder of life around us, and also at times the chaotic, mysterious or frightening aspects of our inner and outer worlds.
I think a sense of movement is strong in many of these works, whether it is the rushing crash of CASCADE or the gentle mixing of waters in FLOATING POOLS. Transformations are also important, as in WINTER, which is when a frozen, monochrome state changes into a gradual thaw with subtle color.
Water and light continue to inspire my work. Water fills the oceans as a liquid, but as vapor it fills the sky. It has weight, exerts tremendous force, and can break down light into small rainbows. Water and light seem to mix in paintings like YOSEMITE SPRING. RAIN is based on the effects of light shining through a moisture-filled atmosphere.
My paintings continue to be influenced by historical landscape art, especially those expressing transcendence, like Ansel Adams photographs, 19th century English landscapes, or the American luminist painters of the late 1800s. All suggest landscape paintings do more than just record surface features; they are studies of the structure of the physical world and evocative of human emotions. I also have been inspired by the paintings of Joan Mitchell and the way Jennifer Packer uses color in her portraits.
