Enlightened Photograph on Aluminum 24” x 16”
The abstract photography of American artist Kathleen Messmer achieves an elegance and splendor seldom seen in contemporary art. Her work is based on botanical abstracts, where Messmer captures elements or angles of a plant or flower that reveals a certain emotive element or expressionistic tone. Through the composition, flow, color, and light of the image, Messmer offers to the viewer a “beautiful, voluptuous symphony of line and color,” or alternatively a serene meditation on beauty and grace, or sometimes a bold statement or “riotous movement.” Regardless, the viewer is drawn in by the poignancy of the abstract subject and the brilliance of the artist’s eye.
One of Messmer’s greatest inspirations comes from none other than Leonardo da Vinci, whose observation “Light is the chaser away of shadows” has driven her masterful attention to line, light, shadow, and color: all which form the impetus of everything she creates. Other influential artists of note include Imogene Cunningham, Tom Baril, Karl Blossfeldt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Tom Ang. No matter the subject or mood being captured, Messmer strives to “bring comfort, aestheticism, interplay, and fluidity” to the work, which is why viewers cannot look away.
www.kathleenmessmer.com
www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Kathleen_Messmer.aspx