LARS LY

This recent body of work by acclaimed Danish artist Lars Ly revisits the park as a meditation on the intersection of culture, nature, and memory. Drawing inspiration from the park as a place where we go to experience nature and pastoral pleasure in the midst of a busy, urban life, Ly explores the ancient Greek mythical ideal of Arcadia – the longing for harmony with nature. Working from images and memory and turning the canvas, Ly superimposes his recollections and multiple perspectives onto the same place, invoking the way we revisit a favorite spot in the park, returning in each season, and over many years, watching our children grow, imbuing this public place with a part of ourselves, our hopes and dreams. Collaged cloths, spontaneously applied, shroud the shadow areas like bandages–gently mending the gaps that appear at the edges of memory with soothing patterns.

We all have a relationship to parks and the power of being among the trees and grasses with a picturesque folly or water feature in the not-too-far distance. Sitting with these paintings is like inviting that experience into your life on a daily basis, connecting with that uplifting, mysteriously soothing feeling each morning.