April 23, 2023 – May 31, 2023
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I think these dozen pieces, most of which done within the past 5 years, cover my recent work.
Landscape painting, Islamic architecture, plant structure, fractal geometry are all important influences. And they might all be seen in this small sample.
“Louie, Louie” started with a drawing I made of a Baroque table in the Rijksmuseum of all things.
My process starts with a spatial concept I want to see as painting/sculpture. Sometimes I need to work in three dimensions using trigonometric projection to get at it – as in the “Platforms” and “Untitled 2017”. Sometimes it can be worked out with a flat contoured space. Sometimes – as in “Untitled 2023” – scale becomes a sculptural element. All of the various components of visual art have to work together to make a structure lucid. In the end they have to be physical embodiments not diagrams.
If you want a deeper look into my history and development you can find an illustrated presentation under “Work Bio” on my website; rodgergreene.com.
As for their meaning. I think that much of the meaning and value of pure abstraction is in the experience of engaging with it. Meditation practice has shown me its similarity to art-looking practice. A good piece should provide a space where the viewer can hang back a little and observe themselves responding to the piece. Then they should be rewarded with pleasure or excitement or even dread or melancholy. I think that my own work is primarily about the excitement of making connections.
The title , “ Stop Lying” refers to the modernist trope about representation being inherently false. Magritte’s writing ‘This is not a Pipe “ ( in French, of course) under his painting of a pipe.”
– Rodger Greene, Artist
