Christopher Engel

Small Abstract (Minimal Composition in Earth Tones, White Circle, Brown Square)

1999

oil on canvas in wood veneer frame

16 x 12 inches unframed
18 x 14 inches framed

This minimalist, abstract expressionist style vertical painting was created by Hudson Valley based artist, Christoper Engel, in 1999. The composition features gestural brushstrokes in sienna brown, beige, sepia and russet. Earth toned browns blanket the background while a striking bright white stripe creates contrast with the foreground. Details of circular white paint and brown squares add depth and extenuate space. The painting is compliment with a natural wood veneer frame prepared with sturdy wire of instant and professional quality installation.

Intimately scaled, this is a delightfully small abstract painting with a minimal composition of squares and circles. A complimentary palette of warm browns, beige and creamy white, the artist's loose brush strokes leave behind the occasional drips. Perfect addition to mid-century modern inspired interiors.

About the artist and work:
Calm and confident brush strokes sweep over each canvas in a selection of abstract paintings by Christopher Engel. His work vibrates with the energy of bold, gestural lines that intersect at points between the foreground and background. These fields are bridged together in a web of kinetic, interconnecting lines which create a remarkable sense of three dimensionality. The close examination of space, or how we create it and replenish a void, is a study that Engel has pursued since he started as a landscape painter in the early 70s. “I was deeply affected by the relationship between the elements of the landscape; trees, shrubs, bushes, and elements on the periphery,” he states, “everything worked to define the space that contained and moved me.” Engel currently works out of a studio near Roxbury, NY, where a pellet stove warms the high ceilings and sunlight penetrates through sky-lights. Nestled in the Catskill mountains, he continues to honor the influence of the natural landscape and remain enamored by the impact of color. With several canvases standing over four feet tall, the surfaces are rich in a sophisticated palette of earth tones; greens, browns, blacks, blues and occasional use of bright red and orange allude to an aesthetic that straddles both landscape and abstraction. Yet despite representational titles such as “Canyon,” Ice Storm”, and “Clear Skies”, Engel’s vision immerses the viewer in suggestions of horizon lines or tree branches rather than orient them directly toward a conventional depiction. Tensions of push and pull are achieved with both opacity and transparency, as well as the natural flow of the medium. Ultimately, the point of departure is radically transformed and the end result is nothing short of powerful.