The work of Brian Fahlstrom evades historical placement, being firmly rooted in the tradition of painting's past while simultaneously existing very much in the present. His paintings of landscapes, architecture, and the figure sometimes verge on abstraction.
Read MoreAllusions to the natural world exist in the works, but the environments depicted are entirely invented by the artist, metaphysical spaces akin to the work of de Chirico, or the idealised, physically charged spaces of old masters such as Rubens or El Greco.
Inspired by these forebears of the craft, Fahlstrom creates his own singular approach to contemporary painting. Through intricately tuned colour and bravura paint handling, compositions are forged over time, being worked out through intuition. The works are the end result of a direct path flowing from the inner life of the artist, manifested through the brush and onto the canvas.
Fahlstrom has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. His work is featured in a number of permanent museum collections such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
Fahlstrom is a recent recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Text courtesy Reflex Amsterdam.
