Cover Image: Eric Wert. Detail of: Citrus. 2012. Oil on Panel. 24 x 24 in.
Issue #3 artist Eric Wert has been exhibiting his work nationally and internationally since 1998. His work has been published in numerous magazines like Visual Feast, American Arts Quarterly, Art New England, Hi Fructose, among others. Wert now has a book titled Still Life that is set for release on September 13th. The book can be purchased at Powell’s City of Books who will also be hosting a release party for him on the evening of Thursday, September 13th. (7:30 P.M.). E-Squared is very excited to receive our pre-ordered copy!
ISSUE #3
Still life paintings of fruit and vegetables have never appeared so provocative in the work of Eric Wert. Attracted to rigorous accuracy and representation, he began his career as a scientific illustrator, but he found the technical aspects of the field left him desiring more. Paving a different path for himself, he decided to express his subjects more vividly, bringing them to a new life of their own. Characterized by vibrantly colored subjects contrasted against subdued ornate backdrops, Eric Wert’s oil paintings generate a feeling of intensity. Reflections of the subjects themselves and details of water drops or nectar often fill the foreground, telling a complex narrative of beautiful destruction. The vibrancy of the fruit in Blood Oranges set against the passive hues of exquisite fabric induce a feeling of energetic tension. Attention to detail combined with the expressive features of Wert’s work leaves the viewer waiting for the next drop of nectar to drip or glass vase to tumble – a true testament to his immense skill in creating such hyper-realistic renderings.
PUBLISHER COMMENTS
Eric Wert’s flowers, fruits, and vegetables are the stuff of a florist’s or farmer’s perfection — objects of incomparable beauty, hyperrealistic, radiant, and arranged in a tumult that’s filled with life. Within this bounty, the artist also recognizes the realities of the garden, forest, and field: snails, slugs, and ants; ladybugs, bees, and butterflies; leaves that decay, petals that fall, fruits that bruise, and vegetables that scar. These things come from the soil and, given time, there they will return with the rest of us. What remains beyond everything is the painting.