Ross Chisholm’s exhibition “Last of the Raking Light” at Berlin’s Eigen + Art Lab is like a tour through different periods of art history. Works in what at first seem two separate groups are presented here, one consisting of paintings executed in an abstract manner, the other referencing the neo-classical portraiture of British masters such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. A seemingly irreconcilable difference between the two modes of representation is then developed into a tale of perception and the passing of time by the artist.Contemporary art at times tends to draw on the methods of realistic painting with an ironic detachment, in order to comment on the instability and incomprehensibility of the world around us. Chisholm’s works also juxtapose contemporary and classical styles but to a different effect. His paintings form an interchangeable chain, as an abstract work is placed next to a figurative one and so on.The first work on display, “And did those feet flee in fright, from the ceaseless mental fight, fucked and blinded by the might. Eviscerating raking light,” (oil on canvas, 2015), if taken out of context, could be appropriated to any of the abstract painters of the twentieth century. Making use of geometrical shapes, lines, and broad, dripping brushstrokes, the artist echoes the achievements of Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, and Arshile Gorky in their search for the expression of the inexpressible. However, the rather lengthy title of the work redirects the viewer’s attention to a completely different era of art history. The phrases from the title allude to William Blake’s epic poem “Milton,” written between 1804 and 1810. Thus, Chisholm introduces references to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which he expands on in the next painting.“The corruscating dark (hickey),” (oil on canvas, 2015) is a small portrait of a woman, standing stiffly in front of a stereotypical landscape. But even at first glance, the modern manipulation of the classical composition is evident. The figure is surrounded by blotches and drips of paint, as if the surface of the canvas has been treated with acid. The painting seems antique, left unattended in unfavourable conditions which caused its poor state. However, it is apparent that this effect has been carefully staged by the artist and is not a result of the passing time. This stands in contrast to Chisholm’s abstract works, which due to their lack of recognizable subject matter, do not appear to belong to any period or specific timeframe. They could have been painted yesterday or at the beginning of the century. Chisholm may be challenging the assumption that art history is a progression of styles, each outdating the other. Instead, the way we view the artworks relies on the context in which they are shown.The “raking light” phrase which is repeated in almost fifty percent of the work titles in the gallery at first seems like a cryptic message. However, the term can also be understood as a reference to a technique used by painting conservators for which they direct a source of light to the surface of a painting at a certain angle in order to reveal the painting’s texture. “Raking light,” therefore, is a mode of perception, whereby the viewer is exposed to the technical details of the painting. The illusion of “realism” is thus shattered, leaving the viewer with a two-dimensional surface covered in paint.Chisholm is not necessarily trying to prove the difference between the two styles by juxtaposing abstract and figurative painting. Rather, he points to their connection as modes of expression. Unrestored eighteenth-century painting is nothing more than layers of paint peeling off the canvas. Non-figurative works are simply marks and lines painted on the canvas. The artist argues for the limitation of human perception; on the one hand, our view of the past is metaphorically tinted by layers of dust and flaking paint, on the other hand we cannot seem to escape the influence of past generations when expressing our views of the present.Ross Chisholm, “Last of the raking light,” on view through May 30, 2015, Eigen + Art Lab, Berlin, Germany
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