Paul Chizik is a highly regarded Canadian artist who, after training in Florence, went on to excel in the genres of portraiture and still life and, more recently, landscape. These landscapes range from impressionistic plein air studies in oil, to studio pieces that resonate with a rich mystery. These works pay homage to the craftsmanship and aesthetics of the masters he most admires. Indeed the spirit of Constable, Whistler and Andrew Wyeth can be can be felt in the tonal range, painterly delight, and airyness of the landscape environments that Chizik renders.
The Progression of Paint: November 2010 Exhibition
Recent paintings by Paul Chizik
I see myself primarily as a painter and then an artist. As a painter, I am concerned with the rheology of the change in shape of matter, thus the flow and plasticity of paint. The morphology (shapes and structure) of art making is the starting point, and how one surpasses and triumphs this, becomes the artist's pursuit.
The historical importance of landscape painting is addressed in this show. Making direct reference to some of the Greats, such as Turner, Constable and some of Monet paintings of London. They all studied the painterly effects of light and colour created by the suffocating atmosphere of pollution found in industrial and urban landscapes juxtaposed to the airy rural and pastoral landscapes.
My wish is to have techniques, perviously experimented with, to evolve in such a way as to progress to a more modern condition and state with the knowledge of those that came before.
Yet the subject matter, considered, and not coincidental, is secondary to the rheology of paint, and its application. The subject matter is chosen at times, based on the progressive understanding of paint structure and technology. This creates a variety of visual and tactile experiences for each painting to engage the viewer.
The introduction and revival of soft pastel painting is new to this show. This highly versatile and flexible medium has allowed me to experiment with paint application in a more diverse manner.
At first glance the techniques of this new body of work may be considered a deviation from previous paintings. However, the use of light, color, and texture remains consistent. Sometimes brooding and foreboding, other times light and luminous. The work focuses on the ability of painting to tell a story through a single image. It has the ability to be cinematic and theatrical. To move one into another realm.
No amount of words can really convey what it is meant to be " taken in" or "drawn in" visually. One is written, the other is suggested.
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