Review, by Kristen Beaulieu

July 2023

WILD AND ALIVE

Steven Tritt, Solo Exhibition

Exclusively for Artsy by The Art House Gallery

Exhibition Viewing Room, Exclusively on Artsy

Wild and Alive

Curated by Rebecca George

A review by Kristen Beaulieu

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.—Marcel Proust

This quote from Marcel Proust is a such an apt introduction to Steven Tritt’s new solo show. Although Tritt’s new work was inspired by a trip to Southern California, Tritt credits his artistic discoveries to feelings of freedom that let him discover a new way of seeing.

In Wild and Alive, Steven Tritt’s long-standing interests in landscape and perspective take a joyful turn. Yes, there are examples of Tritt’s characteristic monochromatic palette and carefully modeled forms in the show, notably Balloon Animals, Onlookers, and Legs. But we can see a transition to a freer, gestural approach in Search, Sunday Drive, and Ethereal Rock – all compositions in black and white.

But Tritt’s breakthrough is most evident in his experimentation with colorful palettes, most notably green, orange, and violet. Tritt’s use of this secondary triad evokes untamed feelings of optimism, enthusiasm, and creativity. Tritt’s choices in composition and mark-making also depart from his characteristic pensive, introspective  style. In Full, Garden, and California Dreamin’ 2, 3, 4 and 8, Tritt’s mark making is quite bold--creating a rhythm suggesting forward movement and momentum. Compositionally, Beyond and Heavenfall suggest that “things are looking up” nudging the viewer to live in the moment rather than dwell on the past.

Kristen Beaulieu Background: Color. Space. Line. Form. Pattern. Contrast. Composition. Kristen Beaulieu is obsessed with visual language. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from the University of Chicago, she picked up a paintbrush at the Hyde Park Art Center and has never really put it down. Since then Kristen has pursued her passion for painting and drawing, studying with talented artists at The Art Institute of Chicago/Ox-Bow, The Philadelphia Academy of Art, and The Art House, among others. More recently she found a new fascination in translating visual language into the English language, and began writing art reviews as a way to start a new conversation about contemporary painting. Kristen was an editor and contributor to The Lonely Ocean Art Blog from 2019-2021, and has been the art critic at The Art House Gallery during the past two years.