This watercolor painting depicts a dramatic, atmospheric cityscape. The muted, monochromatic color palette of grays and blues creates a moody, pensive tone. The silhouetted skyscrapers and power lines in the foreground are contrasted by the ominous, swirling clouds overhead, punctuated by three ominous black birds. The loose, expressive brushwork and ethereal, dreamlike quality suggest a sense of unease or impending change. The work appears to be a commentary on the relationship between the natural and urban environments, hinting at themes of industrialization, progress, and the precarious balance of modern life. ...
Viewing Harold Ancart’s paintings begins with a recognition of naturally occurring elements or forms – seascapes, sunsets, icebergs – but his works move beyond representation. They draw out, magnify and invert natural colour palettes, simultaneously simplifying and complicating forms, and leaning into abstraction. The artist presents technicolour vignettes of minute acts alongside seismic shifts. The geometry of Ancart’s forms, and the play and tension between surface and depth is reminiscent of Bay Area Figurative Movement painter Richard Diebenkorn. Ancart is also inspired by Frank Auerbach and Oskar Kokoschka, which is apparent in his bold use of colour and his embracing of expressionism and representation with a reluctance to be consigned to either genre.
Written by Goldsmiths CCA ...
C L E A R I N G is a contemporary art gallery based in New York, Los Angeles and Brussels. The gallery was founded in 2011, with the focus of showing emerging art. It now represents over 20 living artists, providing many of them - such as Harold Ancart, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Chase Hall, Calvin Marcus and Marina Pinsky - with their first gallery exhibition. The gallery also represents the estates of Eduardo Paolozzi, Bruno Gironcoli and René Heyvaert. C L E A R I N G supports its artists by producing works, exhibitions and books, as well as working closely with public and private institutions. ...
