A m e r i c a n & A s i a n F i n e A r t s

B E H N K E • D O H E R T Y G A L L E R Y

JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE:T H E G R I D S E R I E S

PA I N T I N G S B Y

MICHAEL QUADLAND

At first glance, Michael Quadland’s paintings appear deceptively simple. Yet upon closer study, they reveal

themselves to be extraordinarily complex. He is perhaps most readily described as a Color Field painter, and indeed his work is deeply influenced by the Abstract Expres-sionist Color Field painters of the 1940’s and 1950’s whose large expanses of flat, solid color literally spread across the can-vas in vast fields of unbroken surface. There are clear antecedents to his paintings in the early works of Clifford Still, Barnett New-man and Hans Hofmann. But these artists focused first and foremost on consistency of form and surface and consciously de-emphasized brushstroke and texture.

His works seem to constantly transform

themselves as different elements

of underlying patterns alternately take

the forefront.

For Quadland, while saturated color is essential to creating the overall mood of a piece, it

is not the end goal in and of itself. Building his paintings painstak-ingly layer by layer and then selec-tively scraping away what he has laid down, he creates extraordinary depth and mystery. Color is at one moment revealed, and in the next hidden. The resulting shades and hues enter into dialogue with each other. The impact on the viewer is as much emotional as visual.

By scratching out a seemingly endless configuration of grids, squares, and lines, Quadland infuses his paintings with intense energy.

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His works seem to constantly transform

themselves as different elements

of underlying patterns alternately take

the forefront.

But Quadland then takes things a step further. By scratch-ing out a seemingly endless

configuration of grids, squares, and lines, the artist infuses his paintings with intense energy. Upon reflec-tion, his works seem to constantly transform themselves as different elements of underlying patterns alternately take the forefront, only to recede and grant prominence of place to another arrangement. The result is an ever-changing vision of immense dynamism. His works immediately bring to mind Rob-ert Richenburg’s masterful “black paintings” of 1958-64 in which the artist literally scraped away the can-vas’s surface to reveal all that was already going on underneath. Michael Quadland began his artistic

career as an undergraduate art major at Dartmouth College. A

multiple decade hiatus ensued during which he focused on a career in clini-cal psychology and teaching. It is only recently that he has come full circle and returned to his roots as an artist. The intervening years spent uncovering hid-den emotion and inner complexity have clearly not been lost but rather serve to inform his art. Now he leaves to the viewer the task of unraveling the myster-ies that lie just beneath the surface.

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Arousal Nine

Elaboration

Smolder Red

Loose Weave

Nine Nine

New Growth

Teal Gray

Front Cover

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48” x 48”

24” x 48”

48” x 24”

48” x 48”

24” x 24”

24” x 24”

16” x 16”

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Acrylic on Board

Litchfield Green Acrylic on Board 27 ½” x 45”

6 Green Hill • Washington Depot, CT 06794 | 860.868.1655 | info@behnkedoherty.com

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