Homage to the Abstract: Park City Galleries
MOUNTAIN EXPRESS MAGAZINE
Susan Swartz | Zion’s Glow | 2019 | Acrylic on linen | 72x72”
By STEVE PHILLIPS
Park City Galleries Feature a Time-Honored Art Form
Abstract landscapes are a very personal art form, inviting both creative expression and symbolic interpretation. When talented abstract artists interpret expansive landscapes, stunning works emerge. Vincent Van Gogh’s amazing Starry Night is perhaps the most iconic example of an abstract landscape painting. Imaginative landscape art emerged centuries ago, when both Greek and Chinese artists began painting wildly imaginative scenes in oil and watercolor, reduced to exaggerated block shapes and stark color to focus the eye of the viewer.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, iconic impressionists like Matisse, Seurat, and Picasso eschewed realism as they strove instead to capture the essential landscape elements of light, shadow, color, and depth. That tradition remains alive today among “modern” impressionists who employ many of the techniques developed centuries ago to create abstract landscapes.
“Light is always the key,” says local artist William Kranstover, a member of the Park City Gallery Association. Kranstover, who has created many such canvases, believes every painting begins as an abstract landscape. “You lay down chunks of color first and go from there,” he explains.
Park City’s elegant, diverse array of art galleries house an impressive sampling of abstract landscapes by both local and national artists.
Susan Swartz is a prolific Park CIty-based artist whose work is inspired by the intersection of art, nature, and spirituality. “Park City is my home base and its mountain setting has always been one of my greatest sources of inspiration. As my work increases to travel to different international exhibitions, it has become even more important to me to have a permanent place to share my work,” says the artist.
Her distinctive style, with richly layered colors and bold strokes, suggests the absolute essence of the natural landscape.
“My work has evolved over the years from realism to abstract impressionism. After getting sick from two environmental diseases years ago, I went from painting the technical detail of realistic landscape from my brain, to painting natural abstractions from my soul.”
Swartz has gained national and international acclaim for her expansive body of work. “Susan shares my concern for the future of life on this planet. Each of her paintings richly illustrates the beauty of our world, from snow-covered slopes to rustic vineyards and country gardens…and she encourages us not only to experience and savor these images of nature, but also to do what we can to save nature itself,” says iconic conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.