Fits and Fanfares

Recent Paintings by Leila Cartier

Show runs from: March 17 - April 12

Opening Reception Friday, March 23rd 2012 5-7 p.m. free and open to the public.

"My paintings call upon heightened experiences of nature, perceptions of beauty, and modern day social constitutions. Each individual portrait displays what can be described as a Darwinian manifestation of embellishment and performance. Together these portraits draw attention to the universal driving forces behind the character, impulses, and charades of living beings. Many of the non-human subjects in my portraits are chosen for their grandiose posture, unusually evolved appearance, and the way these attributes mimic those of their human counterparts. For example, the rose-breasted cockatoo is especially intelligent, capable of complex emotion, and consequently, easily scorned. The mantis is a master of disguise and a beautifully delicate creature also known for its ruthless survival instinct and hostile behavior in love. The paint handling in these portraits occupies a space between photography and painting to emphasize the blur between what is real and what is perceived. Ultimately, these paintings fall under the influence of the curiosities, affections and melodramas as we know them here on earth."
Leila Cartier

"...Cartier's most recent series of paintings can be described as a collective dystopia secured within a cocoon of scientific intrigue. Her pursuits in depicting such an environment are indirectly tied to her interests in Kafka's homological tropes and literary exploration of the weak human condition and toward theories of evolution that emphasize how the progress of nature has yet to be harnessed by man. "
From the essay for Wide-Eyed Garden, curated by Adam Justice

This exhibition of recent work by Leila Cartier represents Perspective Gallery's efforts to include excellent artwork from the artists living within our region. In addition to being a painter who explores themes involving the human condition, Leila Cartier is also the curator for William King Museum in Abingdon, Virginia and a professor of art history at Virginia Highlands Community College. She received an MFA in painting and drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was a Jacob K. Javits fellow and a BFA in art history from Moore College of Art and Design.
Robin Scully Boucher-Curator