ALMANAC
Angell Gallery, Toronto
March 2 - April 13, 2013
Daniel Hutchinson is fast becoming recognized as an important new voice in Canadian painting. In his second solo exhibition at Angell Gallery, Hutchinson presents a metaphorical exploration/meditation on that most Canadian of topics, the weather.
In ALMANAC, a series of large paintings feature highly abstracted renderings of natural phenomena, some inspired by wood engravings from a 19th century book documenting polar and tropical explorations. A series of smaller paintings derived from details in the larger works aims to predict weather patterns during the month of March, with a bit of help from the Farmers Almanac and the Canadian intuitive familiarity with our climate.
Sunspots, icebergs, waves, clouds and the aurora borealis are fractured into elemental geometric and organic forms that are then reconfigured through Hutchinson's dexterous manipulation of the oil medium.
Though working at the edge of black, Hutchinson's paintings are replete with glistening light, formed by reflections captured through striated brushstrokes. The sensation of depth and movement is palpable, achieved not through the traditional tricks of perspective or illusionism, but through the properties of paint alone.
The resulting marriage of gesture and geometry, spontaneity and study, movement and stillness, representation and abstraction, certainty and speculation, and dark and light invites repeated engagement. Unlike a Farmers Almanac of years gone by, the paintings in ALMANAC resonate in a timeless space.
REVIEWS:
Daniel Hutchinson by Ben Portis, Border Crossings, 2013
March 2 - April 13, 2013
Daniel Hutchinson is fast becoming recognized as an important new voice in Canadian painting. In his second solo exhibition at Angell Gallery, Hutchinson presents a metaphorical exploration/meditation on that most Canadian of topics, the weather.
In ALMANAC, a series of large paintings feature highly abstracted renderings of natural phenomena, some inspired by wood engravings from a 19th century book documenting polar and tropical explorations. A series of smaller paintings derived from details in the larger works aims to predict weather patterns during the month of March, with a bit of help from the Farmers Almanac and the Canadian intuitive familiarity with our climate.
Sunspots, icebergs, waves, clouds and the aurora borealis are fractured into elemental geometric and organic forms that are then reconfigured through Hutchinson's dexterous manipulation of the oil medium.
Though working at the edge of black, Hutchinson's paintings are replete with glistening light, formed by reflections captured through striated brushstrokes. The sensation of depth and movement is palpable, achieved not through the traditional tricks of perspective or illusionism, but through the properties of paint alone.
The resulting marriage of gesture and geometry, spontaneity and study, movement and stillness, representation and abstraction, certainty and speculation, and dark and light invites repeated engagement. Unlike a Farmers Almanac of years gone by, the paintings in ALMANAC resonate in a timeless space.
REVIEWS:
Daniel Hutchinson by Ben Portis, Border Crossings, 2013
