Recently, both Table Tonic and coco+kelley featured the work of Page Laughlin. And I was captivated.
Laughlin “examines fantasies presented in popular magazines.” And the paintings are based on photographs from Architectural Digest, Nest and other high end publications.
I pulled the artist’s statement from website, because a paraphrased version would lose too much of the fascinating vision:
I am interested in illusions, in things not being quite what they seem. I am attracted to painting because it allows me to create an illusion and simultaneously reveal the means of its production. Oil painting’s wet viscosity allows for ongoing shifting of structure; it is does not have to be “either/or,” “on/off,” “0/1.” I prefer to use paint to maximize this characteristic – its ability to both make an image and revert to material.
In the subject matter of my paintings, things are often not quite what they seem: lovely interiors, on closer consideration, lead to disquieting seduction; wallpaper details, luscious statuary, give way to recognition of issues of power and subjugation. I try to make work that has beauty to attract and complexity to sustain observation.
I would LOVE to see an exhibition. The texture apparent in the images suggests a very three dimensional quality, and I can only imagine how the scenes would come to life when viewed from different angles.
