Thomas Eggerer

The Ruins

2013

Edition of 4

Joel Shapiro received his B.A. in 1964, and his M.A. in 1969 from New York University. Since his first solo exhibition in 1970, Shapiro's work has been the subject of more than 160 s...

In his book Now or Never naturalist Tim Flannery describes a vision of a world with a dead purple ocean and a poisonous green sky. This is a world where warming has melted the ice caps and slowed down the circulation of the oceans so that they have become like a gigantic stagnant pond. This still oxygen depleted water will allow the proliferation of anoxygenic bacteria that will change the chemistry of the ocean making it poisonous to oxygen dependant life. These bacteria will also release hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere causing a mass extinction of animal and plant life on land. This stark yet colourful world will be sublimely beautiful, but there will be no one around to see it. This series of paintings depicts an imagining of our world after the catastrophic consequences of climate change through a reinterpretation of well-known images with a romantic sensibility towards nature. Romanticism was in part a reaction to the industrial revolution marked by a nostalgia for an untouched natural world and a reverence for its overwhelming power. Ironically the spread and continuation of that industrialism is predicted to set in motion a new version of nature that will completely overpower the human world as we know it. With these thoughts in mind, I’ve sourced some paintings associated with the romantic movement and removed the human figures from them – the only evidence of people are the decaying ruins left behind in this uncanny green and purple landscape. I’ve also referenced some photographs from the Apollo moon missions that are thought to have influenced the beginning of modern environmental awareness. The starting point for this series of paintings was Arnold Böcklin’s Isle of the Dead...

Alexander Ross Untitled, 2022 Oil on canvas 46 x 40 inches 116.8 x 101.6 cm Signed and dated (verso) -- Best known for his mysterious biomorphic paintings...

Alexander Ross Untitled, 2022 Oil on canvas 57 x 51 inches 144.8 x 129.5 cm Signed and dated (verso) -- Best known for his mysterious biomorphic paintings...

graphite and fluid acrylic on raw canvas