Tom Flanagan: Paradox
March 2 - April 22, 2023
About the Show
Featured
Every experience is a paradox in that it means to be absolute, and yet is relative; in that it somehow always goes beyond itself and yet never escapes itself. - T.S. Eliot
In this new body of work, Tom Flanagan pairs two canvases to construct each painting. With many of these pairings, it is immediately obvious why this show is titled Paradox. One canvas is brightly colored; the other is black and white. On one canvas, space is delineated by distinct, bold lines; on the other, only changing colors demarcate divisions. Yet, the disparate halves make a cohesive whole. Different motions and emotions are unified by a shared artistic hand, creating a painting that goes beyond its two halves but is still entirely defined by the tension between each.
The famous American Jazz Composer and Musician, Dizzy Gillespie, once said that he wasn’t interested in music – he was interested in sounds. Similarly, I’m interested in how sensations and sensibilities guide visual experience. My paintings are about how those things fit together and what happens with that moment.
For me, the process of painting through improvisation is incredibly important. Not knowing where the painting will take me and accepting the concept of mystery is paramount.
I’ve always been fascinated by artists who build their own language with a few colors, blank canvas and time. I tend to see such works as presenting something of a personal narrative of experience. My titles are meant as a way in and offer a kind of narrative tone that touches on sensation and memory. As a result, my work is more about listening than speaking.
Ultimately, I make pictures I want to see.
- Tom Flanagan
Preview the Exhibition
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