Chris Berens "Leeuwenhart"

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Welcome to the preview for the new Chris Berens exhibition, entitled "Leeuwehart". Please click on each image to enlarge it. All works are on cradled panel. They are not framed but are ready to hang (Chris prefers they not be traditionally framed). Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at kirsten (at) roqlarue.com or to request much larger images.

Chris Berens
" Almost Home "
mixed media on panel
23" x 23"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Awaiting The Procession "
mixed media on panel
17" x 17"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Colossus (Behind The Fair Mountains Lies The Land Of Leeuwenhart) "
mixed media on panel
29" x 29"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Come Along With Me "
mixed media on panel
27" x 27"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Coronation: Trial Run "
mixed media on panel
25" x 25"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Deer Friends "
mixed media on panel
31.5" x 31.5"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Dew Drop Inn "
mixed media on panel
16.5" x 16.5"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Dusk Into Dawn "
mixed media on panel
48" x 37"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Emma Dreaming "
mixed media on panel
48" x 96" (Please click to enlarge!)
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Field of Gold "
mixed media on panel
30" x 30"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Kingdom of Heaven "
mixed media on panel
48" x 96" (Please click to enlarge!)
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Lazy Afternoon "
mixed media on panel
28" x 28"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Leap "
mixed media on panel
18" x 18"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Leeuwenhart "
mixed media on panel
27" x 27"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Microcosmos "
mixed media on panel
20" x 20"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Mother's Day, Ninth of May (Will They Look Like Me?) "
mixed media on panel
22" x 22"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Out Of The Woods "
mixed media on panel
21.5" x 21.5"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" Precious Cargo "
mixed media on panel
16" x 16"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Protectors Of The Heir "
mixed media on panel
28" x 28"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Rushing To Deliver "
mixed media on panel
21.5" x 21.5"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Shift Of Attention "
mixed media on panel
15" x 15"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Skywalker "
mixed media on panel
25" X 25"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Summoning Chimes, Escorting Lights, In The Far Ends Of The Realm "
mixed media on panel
32" x 32"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Take A Left At Trinity Falls "
mixed media on panel
18" x 18"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" The Clearing "
mixed media on panel
23" x 23"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" The Heir "
mixed media on panel
24" x 24"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" The Last Mile "
mixed media on panel
24" x 24"
Please Contact Gallery For Pricing/Availability

Chris Berens
" The Messengers "
mixed media on panel
20" x 20"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" The Promise "
mixed media on panel
19" x 19"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" There's a Rustle. The Flapping Of Wings. The White Birds Will Lead The Way "
mixed media on panel
17" x 17"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Search Party "
mixed media on panel
16" x 17"
SOLD

Chris Berens
" Totem "
mixed media on panel
18" x 18"
SOLD

Chris Berens

Amsterdam artist Chris Berens is an anomaly in the art world, an expert painter who does not use traditional media (he uses inks on photo paper rather than oils on canvas...and NO digital or photographic elements whatsoever), but nonetheless creates compellingly executed, enigmatic, and emotionally resonant paintings.
His work features a fantastical mélange of exotic creatures and 18th century imagery, floating in buttermilk colored clouds, lush verdant countrysides, or silvery sea blues. Photo realistic, totem-like animals and distorted childlike people float like dreams through blurry surrealistic European city scapes or drift on stormy seas on decrepit ships in a soft focus haze, shimmering as if in a fevered dream. It is almost shocking to look at, but in the gentlest of ways.
Beyond the wondrous imagery there is another startling and unusual aspect to Chris' work, in which the smooth, translucent look of the his medium of choice (all works are created with drawing ink, bistre, graphite, parquet lacquer, alkyd coating varnish on inkjet photo paper that is then mounted on wooden panels and adhered with bookbinder's glue) is contrasted with fact that the paintings are patch-worked together, in pieces ranging from 1 to 3 inches across. Each section has been been painted numerous times and layered over each other and each segment flows seamlessly into each other, creating a cohesive image. This technique creates images with such depth, that along with his soft focus look and technical perfection make most people assume they are seeing digital imagery or manipulated photographs (at least when seeing it on a printed page or on a computer screen- in person the work has the “artist’s hand”- a sense of aliveness digital work can not capture). However it is entirely created and painted by hand with painstaking skill, time, and precision from beginning to end.
This new series of works, entitled "Leeuwenhart" ("Lion Heart") take a turn from his last body of work which depicted icicle-like skyscrapers and NY cityscapes that sparkled like diamonds, to more of a lush, fairytale world of forests, rolling green hills, and ancient looking villages. And while the usual assortment of magical animal spirits show up in all the works, another character makes an appearance, Chris' new daughter Emma Leeuwenhart Berens.

Statement:
It all starts with queen Esther. She's surrounded by lions, guardians of the queen and totem animals of her kingdom.
The long awaited moment has arrived: All that is nature, all that is life draws to her. Dewdrops turn towards her, ivy starts wrapping itself around her. A dandelion is making its seeds to dance for her.
A royal delivery is expected: Leeuwenhart, the heir to the throne. Esther is the lush décor of a journey that lies ahead. She is the realm Leeuwenhart has resided in, and will remain her home for the months to come. Now she is paving the winding road that will lead Leeuwenhart to their reunification.

We follow Leeuwenhart in her journey through landscapes as diverse as they are serene. It's dead silent, apart from a soft rumbling that is heard throughout the kingdom that slowly but surely becomes louder and louder. It has an undeniable attraction to all living things. Creatures start following it. Search parties are set up and messengers are sent to all corners of the lands to summon and gather all that lives in the land of Leeuwenhart to follow the cause of the disturbance: The great white lion, the carrier of the most precious gift. His is the honorary task to deliver: a human child.
It's a long and adventurous journey through dark woods and misty mountains. Along the way we meet the most wondrous of animals, the inhabitants of the kingdom. They will follow and escort the white lion on its journey. To all of them it is the send-off of their little queen Leeuwenhart, and the long awaited gathering of two kingdoms.

At long last Emma Leeuwenhart has arrived. All the royal subjects have gathered to celebrate the merger of the two worlds. It's an explosion of joy and laughter.
The queen is flooded with a euphoric serenity, she is a mother now. Leeuwenhart is in a deep blissful sleep, as she has finally found her home. Heaven has come to earth.