Clarence Holbrook Carter, Transection No. 2 (1991). Oil on canvas. 142 x 101 cm. Courtesy the estate of Clarence Holbrook Carter and Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Seoul.
Various Small Fires is hosting a retrospective of the late Clarence Holbrook Carter, an American artist who began his career capturing scenes of the American Midwest during the years of the Great Depression.
As his career progressed, his representational forms transformed into more unearthly landscapes, closely aligning him with that of Max Ernst and Kay Sage and the metaphysical world of Giorgio de Chirico.
Transection No. 2 is part of his series ‘Transection’, the second of three series being shown in this exhibition. The ovoid, a recurring motif throughout his work, hovers above the open tomb in a state that appears to transcend life and death, and reflecting a metaphysical realm that his psychological landscapes beautifully explore.
American Surrealist is running at Various Small Fires’ Los Angeles space until 27 February.
Main image: Clarence Holbrook Carter, Transection No. 2 (1991). Oil on canvas. 142 x 101 cm. Courtesy the estate of Clarence Holbrook Carter and Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Seoul.
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