Cadogan Contemporary are delighted to announce a new solo exhibition of works by Elise Ansel. Polarity is a concept that has always defined Ansel's practice. Using energetic gestural abstraction, she reinterprets old master paintings into a contemporary graphic language, in the process creating a tension between the source material and her own artistic voice. Through her work she aims to set aside the narrative and pictorial elements of these paintings thus creating room for new interpretations and perspectives, often contradicting their original intentions. The tension between these two poles charges her process of creation.
'My paintings are not a critique of the Old Masters but rather an homage that uses their depth and resonance to shine a light on imbalances existent today. Without passion, nothing can be created—or, for that matter, re-created' Elise Ansel
She begins her process with a series of small improvisational studies, initial interpretations that provide points of departure for her larger works. Using Renaissance methods in the process of scaling them up, her larger works embrace the choreography and consideration of her studies but with an enhanced emphasis on colour and gestural expression. This process of transcription and enlargement explores the lines between abandon and constraint, intuition and intellect and accident and design in art. In the process of reducing her inspirations to their most fundamental forms she retains their power and energy, replacing imagery with dynamic movement and dramatic colour and light.
Born in New York City in 1961, Ansel studied at Brown University before gaining her MFA in Visual Art at the Southern Methodist University. Her works have been exhibited in group shows and solo exhibitions across the United States and the UK, and are held in private collections worldwide. Her first exhibition with Cadogan Contemporary, Drawn from History, was held in 2013.
Using energetic gestural abstraction, Elise Ansel translates Old Master paintings into a contemporary pictorial language. She mines art historical imagery for colour and form, setting aside the narrative and pictorial elements of these paintings and creating room for new interpretations. Her works interrupt linear readings of Old Master paintings, repurposing and highlighting the unexpected. The representational content is transformed into a celebration of colour, gesture, and the materiality of paint. In the process of reducing her inspirations to their most fundamental forms, she retains their power and energy, replacing imagery with dynamic movement and dramatic colour and light.
Cadogan is an independent contemporary art gallery with spaces in London, Hampshire and Milan. For over forty years our mission has been to represent, support and curate the work of a diverse roster of emerging and established artists. We care deeply about longevity, developing the careers of our artists and the journey of our collectors.
