Artist Statement
I fear the addmittance of such a truth that it is in fact the "female" which is the neuclous of my passion and not the wonderful qualities of love. Do I not project all that is female into a beautiful river bending? Is it not "female" that I see in all that I deam "worth seeing"? Is what I feel not a motherly feeling towards life. The notion of female precedes love... love is only a mask for that which at heart is truthfully female.
My work explores the ideas of truth, reality, and perception bringing a
heightened awareness to ones surroundings in hopes to produce a more compassionate, and respectful social setting. I create omniscient picture surfaces that make attempts to fully depict the truth of the atmosphere
surrounding the figure. In my works the figures are often engaged in ,
what I term, Circuit Thinking.
Circuit Thinking is the result of thinking about and viewing different levels of life at the same time. The three levels involved in Circuit Thinking are The Micro, The Macro, and the Familiar.
The Micro deals with that which is too small or impossible for the unaided human eye to see. I try to make aware the billions of transactions that are happening within and around one at any given moment. Examples of the Micro are: electric impulses in the body, atoms, cells, ideas, waves of sound, emotions, air currents...etc. In the paintings this level is represented symbolically through diagrams of atoms, charting of air currents, mapping of thought... etc.
The Familiar is that which one is accustomed to seeing with the naked eye. When viewing a painting one often tries to find objects which are familiar to his/herself. The familiarity of an object allows a sense of relationship to the work which transfers into a closer connection between the viewer and the work. The human body is the visible object most closely connected to the viewer. In the same way a successful landscape painting makes one feel as if he/she is in the landscape; presenting the figure allows one to better see the relationship between the body and the surroundings of the figure. The viewer can place themselves in the scene.
The Macro deals with that which is beyond one�s sight; it is the result
and accumulation of the Micro and the Familiar. Examples of the Macro are time and space. The Macro manifests itself through the harmony of the composition and structuring of the Familiar and the Micro.
Circuit Thinking is the act of thinking about the transactions that are happening within the body that allow one to use the body. It is thinking about one�s surroundings and the space occupied by the self within those surroundings. It is thinking about how one�s perceived surroundings relate to the perceived surroundings of others.
The history of painting has displayed no movement or individual painter who has painted all things known about the subject, the whole truth. Artists have come across ideas that are paramount in thought, but remain isolated and void of a nexus to comprehension of the whole.
The comprehension of environment and its eminent value to the picture plane is noted by Matisse when he writes �the object is not of such interest in itself; it is the environment which creates it.�. Although this statement is only half correct. The object and the environment must be shown with equal interest. They are constantly reacting to each other. A object exists in space and through existing, alters it. A work should display the true space in which the figure occupies.
Le Corbusier & Ozenfant made the declaration, �anything of universal value is worth more than anything of merely individual value.� I can�t agree more, a work that shows the mere temperament and expression of an individual artist is of lesser importance than the work that makes visible a universal. Still, the knowledge of individual but separate ideas is futile and destitute unless brought together to form a comprehensive whole.
It is my intention to elevate painting beyond the the obvious: the mere depiction of skin and clothes, the use of light and shadow, the pose of the figure, the texture of the canvas, the temperament of the artist, the perspective or lack of it. I strive to present the viewer with a
To paint an object wholly as ones eyes perceive it is to deny the existence and validity of all that is unseen. In traditional painting the viewer is placed before a mere fraction of that which truly exists. There is no intelligence in an atmosphere which only depicts visible objects.
To paint in styles that rely on texture and brush work to create visual
interest is to depend on surface alone. While a painting may look interesting with all the dashes and globs of color, its meaning and value is perpetually left to question. Abstraction and Minimalism make visual gestures of ideals and processes, but they both leave most viewers distanced and wondering "what?" and "why?" In these works it is not difficult to appreciate the relationships among the elements and principles on the surface plane, but too often the meaning is not grasped from the work by the viewer and the content itself is void of any social value.
I must demand that the public art of our age have more than
surface qualities. Surface quality and personal expression are simply fashion. Art must have purpose, must educate, and most of all bring an awareness of truth to the mind.
One who truthfully knows and understands their surroundings
will treat the objects that occupy and share those surroundings with compassion and respect.
My figurative works capture people in the state of �Circuit Thinking,� while the abstract works are �Thinking� made visual.
All works on this page are exclusively and rightfully reserved to Gregory Lee Euclide