ALEX KATZ REFLECTION 2

“I thought to be an artist you had to be a genius or something. It was that 19th century idea…but with hard work, I got to be good.”  Alex Katz

While best known for his bright, billboard-size portraits, Alex Katz has been depicting landscapes since his first solo exhibition in 1954. Through these works, Alex Katz refined his distinct style of presenting subject matter in a straightforward manner. You know you are looking at an Alex Katz because of his unique use of light and dark surfaces against patterned backgrounds and close compositional crops. 

Alex Katz characterizes his landscapes as “environmental.” Rather than observing a scene from afar, the viewer feels enveloped by nearby nature. Whether in portrait or landscape, his life-long quest has been to capture the present tense in art. 

Variations on the theme of light falling through branches appear in Alex Katz’s work throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century. Defined by temporal qualities of light, times of the day and the change of seasons, his works make us reflect on the relationship between art and nature.

Depicting a scene that mirrors itself in the lower part of the canvas, Reflection 2 (2021) departs from his traditional ‘environmental’ landscapes and reinvents the genre. It is amazing to see how at 95 years old, Alex Katz continues to be an innovator.

REFLECTION 2 (2021) by Alex Katz is an Archival pigment ink on Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm fine art paper. Reflection 2 is signed and numbered in pencil and is an edition of 100. For more information about Alex Katz or Reflection 2 please contact the gallery. Call for Value