Mute Eloquence of Light, Janet Read at Redeemer University

Intuiting Love Songs to a Frozen Land, the Works of Janet Read

I went to the opening of Janet Read's show with very little knowledge of her work. I had seen the promotions on social media, which housed large abstracts in expressively applied cool hues, and while this was enough to intrigue me, it did not excite me. I often feel hesitant when I face abstract works that are adjacent to one of art history's defining movements. For Read, I couldn't help but think of Greenberg, seeing an offshoot of colour-field painting, like Rothko (figure 1) with an expressive flair. After visiting the show and speaking to the artist, I am pleased to report that beneath the art-historically loaded planes of colour, there is an active, informed imagination serenading a land of glacial silence. 

I usually start by briefly looking over all of the pieces before delving into the show’s literature or talking to the artist. This is the only unadulterated taste of the work I'll have. It's like taking a quick sip of scotch before adding water or meeting someone for the first time. For Read’s work this initial meeting was mostly tainted by my art historical snobbery. But one group of pieces gave me pause, a series of gentle abstracts on dura-lar. While they still fit the overall cosmetic themes of the show, the lack of impasto, the semi-transparent layers of paint, and the centralized compositions reminded me more of Turner watercolours than Rothko paintings (figures 2-3). The likeness was faint but it intrigued me enough to become further acquainted. 

It was at this point I had a lovely conversation with the artist. She is a musician, and a lover of literature and art history. Talking to her, it became obvious that the art historical references in her work are not a pastiche or mindless duplication of techniques, but rather purposive references aligned with her inner vision. The works are painted from her memories of two trips to the Arctic. They are intuited from her recollections in the way of automatic drawing or jazz improvisations. She marries these improvisational recollections with an art historically rich visual language to communicate her experience of the light and the space, the calm and the cold. Once the viewer becomes acquainted with Read and her work they need only open themselves up empathetically and the combination of colour-field quietude and Turner-esque expressive romanticism will lead to a sense of wonder, or even an encounter with the sublime. They may even inspire an Arctic expedition. Please take this opportunity to open yourself up and engage with (figure 4), and see where it takes you. 

Further information and works cited: 

• Clement Greenberg, American formalist art critic who promoted the Abstract Expressionist movement, find more information on Wikipedia here. 

• Turner was shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario from October 31, 2015 - January 31, 2016 in a show titled J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free, see the AGO's website here. 

• To explore Janet Read's work further, find her website here.