The Artist Studio

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Corinne’s paintings make a compelling connection between past and future. There are clear roots of this work in her previous under-sea images. Like most of her earlier work, these images are very rich in metaphors and symbolism, and directly address the subconscious. If one wants to speak in the language of alchemy, the work now connects all primeval alchemical elements, beyond water, also earth, air, and fire. The symbolism in the paintings often alludes to the past (a historic cabin, a Jules-Verne-inspired capsule, a historic diving helmet) or the here-and-now, but the implications or implied conjectures  reach well into the future, referencing precarious environmental changes and predicaments.

But  more than anything, for me these paintings also conjure a playful, non-apocalyptic version of the future, even if several (“The Globe”, “Let’s Dance”) teasingly play with dystopian motifs. And the color palette has changed: compared to the earlier undersea images, there are uplifting greens and blue-greens, and even the undersea scenes are sometimes flooded with sunlight. 

The individual works, although quite different in their mood, form in their collective presence a larger narrative that we find ourselves trying to unravel. Each individual painting could be a microcosm that conjures fleeting images from a dream. And similar to a dream, we can float effortlessly, surrendering to where these images want to take us. But ultimately, the dream images connect to a vision that is larger than the sum of its parts. While remaining elusive, to some degree (we don’t want the dream to end…), the images build onto each other. Synergies form between the individual pieces- it’s like embarking on an eventful voyage that becomes part of and indelibly embeds itself into our subconscious. 

Some paintings also comprise a strong ecological component, in particular the metaphorically rich image of the house surrounded by flood waters, set in a romantic landscape reminiscent of a Caspar David Friedrich or Strindberg painting. The house virtually becomes ungrounded and “dances” in the flood, with the dancers inside perhaps oblivious to what is going on outside.

“Let’s Dance”, and “The Ocean Bed” are perhaps for me the most evocative pieces; “The Ocean Bed” is perhaps a strong metaphor for a protected place of rest away from the turmoils of the world above the sea. Yet it’s also an environment not easily hospitable to humans without life-support equipment such as oxygen tanks, so the invitation to peaceful retreat retains some potential peril.

There are perhaps also ecological undertones in “Portrait of an Artist” where the cage acts as a seemingly protective barrier, but is transparent, and curious fish explore the presence of the formally clad artist from another world, wearing a historic diving helmet, from inside and outside the cage. The fish, although quite large, do not appear menacing, just very curious, perhaps alluding to potential peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.  

Corinne included a sketch made for one of the paintings (‘The Ocean Bed’) in this exhibit. I always find it rewarding to follow the trajectory and process of an art piece, and sketches sometimes capture the first sparks; there is a freshness and immediacy because a sketch can materialize rather quickly, unlabored, and spontaneously, and yet  already encapsulates the essence of the final work. 

Lothar Schmitz

Artist and research physicist at UCLA