Journal

Daniel Coffeen has a PhD in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley where he was a lecturer for many years, in addition to teaching graduate seminars in critical theory at the San Francisco Art Institute. He's a frequent contributor to philosophy podcasts and a prolific blogger.  

Dead Reckoning is the process of calculating your direction by using a previously determined position. It is thought that Dutch sailors threw dead bodies overboard to calculate their future route. This seemed apt for a solo show in my 50th year in 2020. It’s not about looking back, it’s about looking forward. Some hope amid the cynicism. I’m trying to make the viewer look longer and harder, to have a one on one relationship with landscape painting; to make them curious and find some joy. The places depicted in my work are partly an invention, full of contrasts and spontaneity. They combine memories of places I have lived or longingly imagined, an idea of a place and the melancholy of longing and wanting to belong. An unfashionable romanticism grounded in the act of painting.

Gordon Dalton 2020

“I take a remote, original point of creation, where I presume formulas for human, animal, plant, rock and for the elements, for all circling forces at the same time.

Art is like creation, and applies on the first and last day." 

                                                                                  Paul Klee, Diary, 1916

Christy Burdock's paintings and drawings manage to merge the specific with the general. 

ALASTAIR GORDON SPOKE TO CHARLEY PETERS IN JUNE 2020 IN THE WEEK PRECEDING THE OPENING OF WITHOUT BORDERS AT ALEPH CONTEMPORARY.

THE ART FIVE is a contemporary art blog created by Hannah Payne.

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Hannah Payne is an art world professional with 20 years background in the art and heritage sector including working with artists, institutions and leading art programmes and exhibitions. In this edition of The Art Five Hannah talks to Gordon Dalton about his recent exhibition ‘Birdhouse Blues' at Aleph Contemporary and its virtual touring to Atelier de Melusine.

"Exploring the Depth of Chaïm Soutine's 'Carcass of Beef': A Journey Through Intense Textures and Vivid Colours"

This description delves into the captivating essence of Chaïm Soutine's 'Carcass of Beef' (circa 1925), an oil on canvas masterpiece housed in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. Soutine, a Russian-Jewish émigré painter in France, presents a work that defies traditional categorization. The painting is marked by swirls of vibrant paint applied with an array of tools from brushes to palette knives, reflecting a profound emotional depth. The subject matter, reminiscent of old masters like Rembrandt, encapsulates landscapes bordering on abstraction and gravity-defying designs.

Soutine's work, especially the 'sides of beef' series, emerges as a favorite for its intense coloration and dynamic brushwork. These pieces, including 'Carcass of Beef', place the subject at the center, compelling the viewer with its textured surface and pulsating colors. The narrative of Soutine pouring fresh blood over his studio carcasses, whether factual or not, underscores the visceral impact of his art.

The essay also touches on a personal discovery of Soutine through Roald Dahl's story 'Skin', where Soutine's art is metaphorically likened to a tattoo, symbolising the deep, skin-deep impact of his work. Archie Franks' 2019 'Full English Breakfast' is also mentioned, hinting at a continued legacy of Soutine's influence in contemporary art. This encapsulates the unique and profound experience of engaging with Soutine's 'Carcass of Beef', a painting that not only captures the viewer's gaze but also resonates deeply within them.

Dan Coombs on the influence of Matisse.