(from my weekly journal feature: leave crits and comments there for easier access to artist and others)

THE ART CRITIC




by ~kainwhite1

In the mid-eighties in Canada, there was a group of painters that established their talents in Vancouver called 'The Young Romantics'. Their reputations are huge, and they have each developed into mature artists. Among them: Richard Attila Lukacs, Angela Grossmann, Graham Gilmore... When they began their mostly figurative escapades across Canada and throughout most of Europe and the US, they were reaching into their early 30s as emerging contemporaries, and now, as a contemporary gallerist in Toronto, I often wonder where the romanticism in art has gone.

In Fixed Volatile, the artist has used a very familiar composition that is visually proven to be the most comfortable within the visual arts: the triangle. A series of three is often the most pliable and accessible to all levels of visual prowess. In setting these groups of two figures into a triangular sect, the artist is automatically successful with two things: depth and visual comfort. This is not to say the subject matter is comforting, simply the composition and where the artist has placed the groupings.

One thing I am instantly attracted to is the impasto techniques of his painting. Kain brushes on his paint as though he's much more concerned about his result than the emptiness of his wallet - good paint is worth the money, and if you can successfully use said paint, all the better. This grittiness adds instant visual construction - his process is evident and is a 'painting' much more than anything else. What I have found is that far too often painters are much too afraid of using too much paint - as they are of using too little as well. This stigma is usually beat down through the first few years of foundation art classes as most professors will steer a student away from being too delicate and intimate with their paintings. Artist's can afford to lose a little paint in the process of learning how to master the materiality of the substance, whether it be acrylic or oil.

Back to the work - duality is another one of those constants within the visual arts. Hitchcock used it in his films. David Salle used it in his massive constructive paintings. Gilbert and George. Philip Pearlstein. This peice however, with the inclusion of the title, creates a tension between the figures that is slightly unnerving, and uncomfortable. There is a nice balance between the composition mentioned earlier with these double figures. The couple on the top, facing the water and the light source, are the two who are in tandem. They face the same direction and have the same gaze and are the most solid of all. The middle pair has confrontation. The closest pair is far different in that one of the figures looks out to address the viewer - something that immediately brings the audience into the work and associates us with the situation the people are in. For Fixed Volatile this come to an advantage as to have an audience involuntarily included into a work not only begins the association, but develops it, through the use of the other figures. What we associate is apparently up to us, because there isn't much more of a visual language used.

The landscape itself is well painted in that it's extremely simple. There are no 'Bob Ross' trees, or 'Gauguin' plants and flowers or 'Khalo' animals. This simplicity pronounces the figures and forces us to concentrate on their relationships, on their situations. As I said before, there is a lack of 'young romantic' art not only coming from Canada, but what I have seen from other countries as well. Kain has developed his own passionate style through his figurations and uses this mature subject matter as a useful tool in his art practice.

technical skill: 8.5
contemporary context: 6
documentation: 9.5

(each out of 10)