BRIAN HARTE

At first glance, the objects and shapes in Harte’s canvases appear to either be floating aimlessly or chaotically clumped together. Each element seems to exist entirely on its own, with no discernible relationship to one another. Broad distance is placed between foreground and background, creating a space that feels strange and unfamiliar. Faceless figures are positioned at random, often turned slightly away from the viewer. Bits and pieces amass as indecipherable entities.

Upon further study, the objects begin to take shape, revealing a hanging lamp, a chair, or a picture frame. Slowly the image begins to unravel, and the setting unfolds. Harte takes common areas in households, such as living or dining rooms, and manipulates them in order to probe at something larger—something that exists beyond the four walls. Strictly adhering to this simple framework, the artist plays around within the confines of the picture plane. The expansive swaths of color are selected with intention, oftentimes alluding to pressing environmental concerns like rising sea levels or temperatures. Lines and grids give structure to an otherwise disorderly space, subtly referring to commonly-played sports and board games—a metaphor the artist repeatedly returns to in addressing the ways in which human beings navigate the world.

Clues are also left in the titles of each work. In E45, a figure on the brink of disappearing leans against a dresser, head faced down. Atop the dresser sits a tub of E45, a topical cream used to protect the skin from irritants and harsh weather. In Temperature, a figure languidly reclining in an armchair is enveloped by a deep red. An obscure, darkened pile next to the figure’s leg appears to release smoke in the air as a fire looms overhead. Throughout each part of the canvas, the artist leaves subtle, easily overlooked traces remarking on the questionable choices we make every day—how we turn to laboratory-made creams to protect us from the environment and idly wait for impending disasters to happen.

A dark, uneasy current runs through each painting, but much like the exhibition title Return of the Hawthorn suggests, slivers of hope remain. When creating this new body of work, Harte came across a long bank of hawthorn trees bursting with white flowers near his studio: a sign of change and new beginnings. Though we are constantly bombarded with news of imminent environmental catastrophe, heightening anxieties on our future conditions of life, Harte’s paintings urge us to cling to hope by seeking to understand our place in the world and the effects we have on it.

Press Release: Courtesy of MAKI