Tamaracks in November / 2007 / oil on canvas on panel / 24″ x 24″ / © Julian Hatton. All rights reserved. Courtesy of the artist and Elizabeth Harris Gallery

Hatton’s paintings exude a curious faith in landscape as source. His refreshingly versatile abstractions, which follow the modest two foot square format of his previous show in 2006, emphasize the enormous pleasure derived from limited means. Hatton plays with the seemingly logical set of relationships that are responsible for any landscape ascription, with compelling results. While often using nature as a starting point, Hatton remains true to the Modernist tenet of inventing one’s own language. These new paintings show Hatton extending his idiosyncratic vocabulary, broadening his syntax and pushing his organic shapes to the limits of recognizable depiction. Rich color harmonies and complex compositions change radically as moods shift from exuberant to somber. The paintings show a love of color, process and improvisation, with paint qualities ranging from delicate glazes to rough pentimenti. The extraordinary individuality of each painting suggests a deepening appreciation for how paintings work, while, at the same time, testifying to the inexhaustible possibilities of abstracted landscape. [Read more…]

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