The Delightful Land

Kristina Lee
Amy Lincoln
Ryan Schneider
Natalie Westbrook

The Horticultural Society of New York
August 7 – September 13, 2013
 

The rich and varied landscapes of the tropics have long been mined for natural resources, but they have also been the source of inspiration for artists who are captivated by their color, bounty, and perceived otherness. Taking its title from a Gauguin painting, The Delightful Land showcases the work of four contemporary artists who draw strong formal influence from modernism, but who reinterpret these iconic landscapes and image tropes for our postcolonial, globalized age. Amy Lincoln’s matter-of-fact paintings recall the primitivist dreamscapes of Rousseau; Natalie Westbrook’s mixed media paintings evoke Matisse’s use of color, pattern, and cut paper; and abstract figurations by Ryan Schneider and Kristina Lee are an update on the exoticism of Gauguin. Each artist interprets the tropics through his or her own first-hand experiences but also, and perhaps more apparently, through the filter of Western art, culture, and media.
 

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