For Brooklyn based painter J Louis, it’s all about balance, which can mean many different things in a composition, but for Louis, it’s about balancing his female figures among a unique landscape of color.
“For each of my paintings, there is a hierarchy of focal points supported by elements that draw the eye throughout the painting at varying rates,” he shares. “When well-balanced, fine details, bold colors, varying textures, open spaces and placement of values all play a role in holding a viewer’s attention while they experience the song of the painting.”
Purple Room, oil on linen, 29 x 48"
In his upcoming solo show at Principle Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, Louis continues to explore “various figure compositions and technical applications of pigment,” he says. “In this show, I wanted to look back at the past decade of my work and capitalize on what I believe speaks with my strongest voice. You will see confident women supported by clean composition, expressive texture and bold color arrangements. Like all of my work, I am hoping to create a connection between viewers and the powerful women inhabiting the painting.”
Chartreuse, oil on linen, 15 x 9"
In his show piece Chartreuse, we find a redheaded, nude woman cloaked in a yellow cloth, and set against a vibrant green background. “For this work, I wanted to explore another time period through my own lens,” Louis explains. “While at the Met recently, I spent some time admiring Degas’ bathers. I wanted to create a painting that felt fresh and candid like these artworks. For better or worse, faking a candid scene rarely feels believable. So, in one of my latest photoshoots, while photographing for another composition, the model and I happened to capture this truly candid image that immediately reminded me of the bathers. This image was perfect.”
Louis adds that the color is inspired by the liqueur known as Chartreuse. “It is a color (and beverage) I have always been fond of for its complexity and lack of chromatic emotional placement,” the artist adds. “It seemed to be the right color to express a forgotten feeling of artwork past…”
Joy, oil on linen, 39 x 31"
As a response to the history of figurative painting, we find Joy—a woman surrounded by orange and purple hues, seemingly enjoying a laugh. “I wanted to create a work that sparks a sensation of happiness and lightness,” Louis says. “All too often, artworks skip over feelings of elation, with the exception of a few artists—Frans Hals comes to mind. This painting is exactly as the title suggests-—my expression of joy.”
Louis continues, “I am incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such inspiring people. The model that inspired this work was joy incarnate and the perfect person to inspire such an uplifting composition.”
Orange Lids Revisited, oil on linen, 24 x 15"
In bolder, highly textural expression of purple, we have the aptly titled Purple Room, a piece that encapsulates a special kind of moodiness. “I wanted to create a modern mystery,” say Louis. “For me, the most captivating component of painting people is that I will never truly understand who it is that I am painting. In a way, I will only ever be able to present what I am given. It’s a human dilemma and it’s truly incredible!”
Louis' show of nearly 30 paintings will open November 1 with an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. —
Principle Gallery 125 Meeting Street • Charleston, SC 29401 • (843) 727-4500 • www.principlegallery.com
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