| Unveiled - The Anatomy of a Painting a solo exhibit of the work of Chris Carter |
A basic understanding of the five elements that make up every painting is a foundation upon which a lifelong love of art can be
built. An artist, at some point, decides which one or two of the five elements: line, shape value, color, texture, will dominate a
painting and uses the other elements to support that choice. This is true for both abstract and representational work. The content
or meaning of a painting is communicated to the viewer successfully or not depending on the artist’s ability to manipulate the five
elements with skill and imagination. The general public can recognize the skill of an artist who renders subject matter with
photographic likeness but often feels inadequate when it comes to judging the skill of an artist who ventures away from Realism. If
we are to nurture an emerging generation of art collectors, it is important that these future art lovers learn to trust their own gut
feeling.
Unveiled – The Anatomy of a Painting bridges the gap between artist and viewer by presenting paintings that clearly illustrate the
five elements of art: line, shape, value, color and texture. This exhibit presents an analysis of each painting in terms of the
dominant elements. It is not only the artist who has personal preferences. The experience of viewing art is as unique and
personal as the experience of creating it.
The inspiration for all my work is the feeling of movement through space whether the subject is figurative, landscape or abstract.
When the essence of movement is captured in a painting it continues to reveal new aspects to the attentive viewer. With
movement there is change— with change comes the opportunity for a new experience, a new thought or idea. This exhibit
presents single line ink drawings, watercolor and acrylic paintings that have been creating by pouring, splattering and dripping the
paint as well as oil paintings done in the traditional manner of underpainting and glazing.
Featured in this exhibit was the road series Between Here and There. For some the road might be the commute to work, for
others it could be traveling across the country on a family vacation. The simple subject of a road cutting through a landscape
provided me with the opportunity to present clear examples of each of the five elements of art without the subject matter being a
complicating variable. It is the choice and handling of these dominant elements that will determine which experiences are brought
to mind. The rest of the paintings in the exhibit challenge the viewers to recognize each of the elements within the paintings and to
become aware of their personal response to those elements.
built. An artist, at some point, decides which one or two of the five elements: line, shape value, color, texture, will dominate a
painting and uses the other elements to support that choice. This is true for both abstract and representational work. The content
or meaning of a painting is communicated to the viewer successfully or not depending on the artist’s ability to manipulate the five
elements with skill and imagination. The general public can recognize the skill of an artist who renders subject matter with
photographic likeness but often feels inadequate when it comes to judging the skill of an artist who ventures away from Realism. If
we are to nurture an emerging generation of art collectors, it is important that these future art lovers learn to trust their own gut
feeling.
Unveiled – The Anatomy of a Painting bridges the gap between artist and viewer by presenting paintings that clearly illustrate the
five elements of art: line, shape, value, color and texture. This exhibit presents an analysis of each painting in terms of the
dominant elements. It is not only the artist who has personal preferences. The experience of viewing art is as unique and
personal as the experience of creating it.
The inspiration for all my work is the feeling of movement through space whether the subject is figurative, landscape or abstract.
When the essence of movement is captured in a painting it continues to reveal new aspects to the attentive viewer. With
movement there is change— with change comes the opportunity for a new experience, a new thought or idea. This exhibit
presents single line ink drawings, watercolor and acrylic paintings that have been creating by pouring, splattering and dripping the
paint as well as oil paintings done in the traditional manner of underpainting and glazing.
Featured in this exhibit was the road series Between Here and There. For some the road might be the commute to work, for
others it could be traveling across the country on a family vacation. The simple subject of a road cutting through a landscape
provided me with the opportunity to present clear examples of each of the five elements of art without the subject matter being a
complicating variable. It is the choice and handling of these dominant elements that will determine which experiences are brought
to mind. The rest of the paintings in the exhibit challenge the viewers to recognize each of the elements within the paintings and to
become aware of their personal response to those elements.
Two small images on lower left: are
underpaintings
Two larger images: first glaze over
underpaintings.
underpaintings
Two larger images: first glaze over
underpaintings.
Monsoon Gallery, 11 East 3rd St., Bethlehem, PA Oct. 3rd - Nov 5th, 2008