Eric Clair

Clair de lune déchirant

By Eric Lamontagne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

Lamontagne has an interest for the conflicting relationship that exists between the end of the landscape and its contemplation, as well as for the so-called death of painting. The pa...

2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Eric Lamontagne
Clair de lune déchirant, 2018

$4,400

H 40 in W 30 in

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Eric Lamontagne for sale on 1stDibs

Interaction with one of Lamontagne’s works is, simply put, a surreal experience. By using one of several points of entrance, viewers are permitted to experience multiple views of combinations of two and 3-dimensional aspects of his work that redefine the rules of space. Whether looking through peep-holes, or in experiencing the final effects of his mise-en-scène, Lamontagne’s work courts the viewer’s curiosity and imagination, inviting them to let go of traditional ways of seeing and to enter into a playful relationship of what is possible. The piecemeal nature of his mise-en scène with the steam locomotive engine, paired with the accompanying audio recalls time gone by. It remains unclear, however whether this is a memory work, or from a parallel, past, or future time. The space itself appears somewhat liquid in that the various elements are capable of pulling even further away from one another, increasing their dissolving aspect. The upper portions of the canvases succeed at further confusing our understanding of this space with their contradictory gravity work. The streaked nude canvas left exposed would have us believe that there is an upward force on the painted image, while the subjects of the images are reacting only to the usual gravitational pulls. To further confound an understanding of the space, it is not clear as to whether the painted images are in the process of dissolving or being created. Like in dreams or memories there is a sense of something being slightly amiss, or askance. Suspended just short of being fully realized or separated from a state of wholeness, the scene is both static and yet there is a heightened awareness of the potentially impending series of motions that would play out. Other glimpses into parallel and alien scenarios are found throughout the exhibit, offering impossible views and playfully prodding the mind to accept or consider other possibilities. In keeping with past works, there is a focus on an interdisciplinary approach that merges and creates new realities as well as allows for a wide range of perspectives- while maintaining a playfulness. The everyday nature of the visual subject is inclusive, cemeteries, studios, countryside, fireplaces, a sunset, their simplicity is instrumental in allowing viewers to focus of the mechanics of navigating and understanding how the artworks inhabit their space, and the relationships that exist between the viewer and any of the given works.

A Close Look at Contemporary Art

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

Finding the Right Landscape-paintings for You

It could be argued that cave walls were the canvases for the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict and elevate natural scenery through art, but there is a richer history to consider.

The Netherlands was home to landscapes as a major theme in painting as early as the 1500s, and ink-on-silk paintings in China featured mountains and large bodies of water as far back as the third century. Greeks created vast wall paintings that depicted landscapes and grandiose garden scenes, while in the late 15th century and early 16th century, landscapes were increasingly the subject of watercolor works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Bartolomeo.

The popularity of religious paintings eventually declined altogether, and by the early 19th century, painters of classical landscapes took to painting out-of-doors (plein-air painting). Paintings of natural scenery were increasingly realistic but romanticized too. Into the 20th century, landscapes remained a major theme for many artists, and while the term “landscape painting” may call to mind images of lush, grassy fields and open seascapes, the genre is characterized by more variety, colors and diverse styles than you may think. Painters working in the photorealist style of landscape painting, for example, seek to create works so lifelike that you may confuse their paint for camera pixels. But if you’re shopping for art to outfit an important room, the work needs to be something with a bit of gravitas (and the right frame is important, too).

Adding a landscape painting to your home can introduce peace and serenity within the confines of your own space. (Some may think of it as an aspirational window of sorts rather than a canvas.) Abstract landscape paintings by the likes of Korean painter Seungyoon Choi or Georgia-based artist Katherine Sandoz, on the other hand, bring pops of color and movement into a room. These landscapes refuse to serve as a background. Elsewhere, Adam Straus’s technology-inspired paintings highlight how our extreme involvement with our devices has removed us from the glory of the world around us. Influenced by modern life and steeped in social commentary, Straus’s landscape paintings make us see our surroundings anew.

Whether you’re seeking works by the world’s most notable names or those authored by underground legends, find a vast collection of landscape paintings on 1stDibs.