Anthony Hurd - A. Hurd Gallery - Spectaculum Libertatis Spoliandae

December

opening: Friday, DECEMBER 9th 2022

Spectaculum Libertatis Spoliandae - BY SCOTT GREENWALT

This selection of paintings from the last year deal with a sense of foreboding and terror reflected in the distorted eyes floating over forms reminiscent of faces, comprised of knots and tendrils in a spectrum of colors as if the dermis was suddenly and violently stripped away, leaving a chaotic storm of elements flailing in space. Phallic totems rise above the horizon, pushing their way into view, displaying proudly a leathered hide, seemingly impervious to the malign forces imposed upon others. The title comes from an A.I. translation of English to Latin for the phrase ‘spectacle of the stripping of liberty’.

Contemplating the inevitable rise and demise of complex systems throughout history, my work explores notions of a manipulated, beautified world on the constant verge of collapse. Envisioning moments in time that reflect a tumult lurking just beneath the surface, threatening to rupture with magnificent force. A place where spiritual effluvia roams through space, leaving behind husks of the living things it once occupied, where new forms of life will again flourish in time. These images take on the familiar painting tropes of landscape, still life, nature painting, portraiture, architectural and history painting, rendering these various styles through the idiosyncratic lens of my particular brand of magic realism, wherein alien qualities abound in familiar formats.

bio: Scott Greenwalt was born in St. Louis, MO in 1974. Received MFA in painting from California College of the Arts in 1999. Currently based in Oakland, CA.

COLLECTORS PREVIEW

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All emails will be answered in the order in which they are receive. Once purchased the works will be marked as sold. You'll be contacted when show is over to arrange shipping. Thank you!