Alex Gough
These paintings refer to the traditional meaning of the sublime
My recent work has been about the colour
blue and its evocative qualities that can reveal
notions of the sublime. In reference to texts by
Kant, Longinus and Edmund Burke, I feel that
these paintings refer to the traditional
meaning of the sublime; man’s insignificance
against nature. I also feel that the paintings
refer to a more contemporary approach to the
sublime. Through Barnett Newman’s text “The
sublime is now”, to the relationship between
the subtle intensity of colour in Mark Rothko’s
work and specific power of Yves Klein’s Blue.
These paintings are not just about looking into the sky at dusk, but about being taken to a dreamy place of isolation; representations of one’s memories. I have travelled to the forests of Lapland for the past six years to see the beautiful light that occurs during the winter months. The daylight only lasts for several hours before the sky plunges into a deep twilight. I recreate this magical moment when day turns to night with oil paint on an immaculately prepared canvas. I depict the snow-laden trees of the forests in high detail with Indian ink, playing with the positive and negative space.
Pictured above: Levin Tahti (detail) © Alex Gough