NY-based artist Alison Moritsugu paints idyllic, pastoral landscapes on logs and stumps as part of her beautiful commentary on how we look at and treat the environment.
Moritsugu’s paintings emulate the optimistic style of the 18th and 19th centuries, but “by viewing the painting’s surface, the cross section of a tree, any sense of nostalgia or celebration of nature is countered by the evidence of its destruction,†she writes in her artist’s statement.
She uses this beautiful but jarring juxtaposition to critique how we portray the environment in media since photoshopped images of verdant forests and unspoiled beaches provide a false sense of assurance that the wilderness will always exist. By exploring idealized views of nature, her work acknowledges our more complex and precarious relationship with the environment.†Naturally, Moritsugu paints on naturally-fallen lumber.
