The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
Alberto Giacometti
Margaret Lazzari’s recently closed compelling solo exhibit The Space of Color at the Billis Williams Gallery showcases mysterious paintings that exist in the space between figuration and abstraction. These works are psychologically disorienting as Lazzari plays with the viewers expectations of spatial relationships.
A case in point is Autumn 2024, where sky and fall foliage appear to be reflected in a shimmering watery surface. At the same time, in the lower right corner, a dark shadow appears both on the surface but also like a hole disrupting the picture plane. It speaks to what may be lurking underneath. The title may be a clue to the meaning and context of the piece. Autumn is a transitional time from the carefree days of summer to a frigid winter and functions as a poignant metaphoric allusion to the later stages of one’s life.
Tantalizing ambiguity abounds in Lazzari’s glorious paintings and is evident in the operatic, visually stunning painting entitled Venus 2023. The surface here crackles with heat and energy. The flickering brushstrokes climb up the canvas like flames reaching for the sky and the sublime, highly saturated color dazzles. The title suggests the heat and passion of erotic love but in this age of wildfires, this intensely beautiful work looks like a dangerous conflagration reminding one of the dangers of climate change.
Then, as if to soothe the soul, there is the stunning painting, The Calm, 2024 with its dramatic deep horizon, orange-tinged sky flowing towards the viewer and smooth, watery surface reflecting swirling clouds. This work channels the sublime landscape painting of the nineteenth century Romantic painters that focused on emotion, evoked by the wonders of nature.
Lazzari is a masterful colorist whose brushstrokes and mark making are robust, varied and vigorous, creating engaging paintings that play with the viewer’s sense of space, orientation and emotions.
- Nancy Kay Turner; photos by Nancy Kay Turner and as provided by the gallery