LANCE FRIEDLANDE 

 

8 - 29 March  2008

 

Miguel De Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, suggests that life is a journey and not a destination.  The artist believes that art is a mirror of life.

Each work is a pilgrimage that is made up of a multiplicity of problems and opportunities.  Like life, it is the creation of challenges and the exploitation of moments that determines the outcome of the work.  It is the solution of problems which is the creative element in the recipe. The process becomes an end in itself.

The works look at the human condition and its relation to itself, others, and the South African landscape. Figures are deconstructed so that the element of chance can be manipulated.  Each piece informs the next in an evolutionary progression of form.

At some point in the works, a dialogue is established between the canvas and the artist and the work itself suggests opportunities and directions. The first priority is linear and tonal composition.  Then colour temperature is used to exploit spatial possibilities.

 

WORDS FROM DR GREG KERR:

“The exhibition is a celebration of the medium of oil paint and its capacity to both refer to the familiar (the artist delves into art history and personal experience) and evoke novelty through unusual and expressive explorations of the South African landscape and the human figure.

 

Each work can be enjoyed from a distance as well as close up. Emphasis has been placed on the tonal composition first and then the linear.  The first priority of colour is its capacity to suggest temperature and thus spatial tension. The artist has focused on a dynamic combination of glazes against impasto. The result is a joyous indulgence in the richness and musculature of oil paint.”

LIKE NO DAY HAS BEEN (2008). Acrylic and oil on canvas, 108 x 77cm.

UNDER AN ORANGE CLOUD (2008). Acrylic and oil on canvas, 108 x 77cm.