Thursday, January 26, 2012

Brian Kreydatus / Virginia, USA



I have had two, two- month residencies at “La Cite” (2008, 2011).  The residencies have had a major impact on my work.

Paris’s museum and cultural holdings funcioned in much the same way one might use a library- to inspire and inform. Of particular importance to me during both residencies were the French and Dutch collections at the Louvre. I spent nearly every day drawing and from these paintings. In addition, the Courbet retrospective at the Grand Palais during my first residency had an enormous impact on me. His ability to paint both the specific and universal without losing the power of either expression- is a constant source of inspiration and challenge to my own pursuits. “Opening day night” was certainly influenced by my time with Courbet’s hunting pictures.


While I usually paint in oil, during both residencies I experimented with water-based media. During my last residency I painted solely with acrylic paint. There is a vast difference between oil and acrylic paint. The uninterrupted period of time allowed me to fully explore this non-toxic medium in a way that would have been very difficult at home. Acrylic is now a major part of my painting practice and has allowed me to explore painting domestic scenes at home which I hadn’t done before because of toxicity. “Last night” is from my experiments in Paris.

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