"Fade to White"

The Artwork Network gallery on Santa Fe is currently showing the work of Gus Harper, a collection entitled “Fade to White.” In contrast to much of his previous colorful pieces, Harper paints in different shades of white in this collection. In his artist’s statement, he references Michelangelo's Slaves as his inspiration. Like the human figures held in the white marble, Harper mimics this idea as the canvases hold the faces and bodies he paints and describes his work as an ultimate “celebration of the human condition.”

My two favorite pieces from the exhibit are entitled “Looking Out” and “Suspended Moment.”

“Looking Out” depicts a nude woman curled up in a ball, yet the background surface is obscure as the pale colors fade into the white canvas. A systematic design resembling a lacey veil overlies the figure, as if the viewer is peering through a frosted window on a woman inside. At first, the image looks serene and beautiful, but in contrast with the white colors and soft angles is the stark eye Harper includes that glares at the viewer. Not immediately noticeable, the stare of the figure conveys an expression of fearful apprehension rather than peaceful rest. The longer I stood in front of the image, the more the woman seemed to be drawing away, trying to hide in the safety of the monochromatic background. The colors that Harper does include are darker than the other pieces in the exhibit and highlight the sharp contrast between the shadows and the figure. Throughout the entire work, Harper successfully holds tension between lightness and darkness, rest and angst, knowledge and secrecy, safety and fear.

Harper, again, utilizes the lacey ‘screen’ in his work “Suspended Moment,” a painting of two mouths poised before a kiss. In my mind, it is the moment after an initial kiss, taking a breath and delighting in the serene intimacy before another. The tension of space, augmented by the shadows behind the profiles, evokes a desire for completion. Since this piece only illuminates their mouths, noses and chins as the rest of the face fades to white, the viewer can interject what exactly this completion entails. As opposed to his other piece “The Kiss,” which shows the entire profiles of both people, the ambiguity of this piece induces a deeper emotional lure.