Harold Ancart's recent exhibition at Gagosian in New York, titled "Paintings," presented a series of new works by the artist, including atmospheric canvases that delve into the realms of both the observed and the imagined. Among these works, Ancart explores natural landscapes and built environments, finding moments of unexpected poetry within them. His practice, though deeply influenced by his Belgian roots, also draws inspiration from American abstract painters like Richard Diebenkorn, Helen Frankenthaler, and Clyfford Still (Gagosian) (GalleriesNow.net).
Ancart's works in this exhibition suggest a place of longing and escape, using motifs like trees to explore nuances of color and shape. His previous works have depicted elemental forms such as clouds, fires, and icebergs, with the subject matter serving more as a pretext for painterly experimentation than as an end in itself. Among the highlighted pieces are two large landscape canvases; one immerses the viewer in a nocturnal seascape featuring a large, truncated moon, while the other, also a seascape, is framed by a large field of red, suggesting a telescopic view. These paintings extend Ancart's practice by translating his experience of aimless wandering into a meditation on the concept of location itself (GalleriesNow.net).
Ancart's technique involves the use of oil stick to create vibrant chromatic relationships on canvas, infusing his works with a sense of painterly naturalism. The textures of the canvases are enriched through various interventions such as smudges and scrapes, adding depth and complexity to the visual experience. Through his work, Ancart invites viewers into a contemplative space where the boundaries between the real and the abstract, the tangible and the ethereal, are blurred (Gagosian) (GalleriesNow.net).
These exhibitions not only showcase Ancart's evolving exploration of natural phenomena and abstract painting but also reflect his ongoing inquiry into the potential of painting as a medium to transport viewers to "many elsewheres" beyond the immediate present (Gagosian) (GalleriesNow.net).