Ray
Turner’s new paintings are metaphors for life. Turner selects
earthly paths and waterways as symbols of this journey. The paths
represent the solidity of the thoroughfares through which we wander.
The waters are the self-propelling flow of the journey itself.
Progressing to, raising above, and seeking more than is known and is
visible, is Turner’s subject, representing mankind’s compulsion
to move and be moved.
With
rich applications, vibrant colors and lush brushstrokes, Turner
creates compelling landscapes. Swelling streams and calm
waters, burgeoning fields, strange, animated shapes emerging from
the darkness take the viewer through mesmerizing uncharted
territories. The hills, with their rich foliage and golden light,
lead to broad sweeps of infinity. These depictions symbolize the
quest of the human spirit and the voyage that moves us through life.
To
convey these life paths, Turner works with two related artistic
elements; the horizon line and the position from which the viewer
perceives the landscape. Central to landscape painting is the
horizon line. Artists throughout history have used it as the
demarcation that defines the relationship between earth and sky. The
proportions of land versus sky determine the mood. By varying the
emphasis of these great masses, Turner heightens the drama of the
scenery and ultimately, the pleasure of the viewer.
Integral to the
placement of the horizon line is Turner’s positioning of the
landscape to alter the vantage point from which the viewer witnesses
the scene. The artist takes us up hills, down valleys, through
meandering streams and pathways. By varying these elements, Turner
provides another description of the dynamism of life’s journey
which is never straight, static or predictable, but like Turner’s
art, is a unique experience to behold.
- Roberta Carasso,
Ph.D.
|
|