“The Best I Can Give You”
Seth Camm at J.R. Mooney Galleries, Boerne
Against a background of darkness, a
bouquet of roses is illuminated in an arrangement that is offered towards the
viewer as a token of solemn gesture in Seth Camm’s oil painting, “The Best I
Can Give You”. The transition from dark to light, the
chiaroscuro, is one of the masterly ways in which Camm emphasizes visual and
thematic importance of the subject matter.
The background is deeply obscure revealing no information of the setting and context in
which this offering is made, a gesture that transcends economic status and
carries with it the highest form of refined sentiment.
From the giver to the receiver, the meaning
long associated with pink roses has been of love, gratitude, and appreciation. The title itself, “The Best I Can Give You”
perhaps infers that the artist has established the tenet that the flowers are
merely a vehicle through which an affection of the highest regard is expressed
toward the recipient. The title of “Queen of Flowers” was bestowed upon the
rose since ancient times, perhaps eternally sealing its position as the most
exalted of botanical endearments.
The pink of the rose petals are in
contrast with the earthy greens of the leaves and foliage of the bouquet. In
the focal point of the composition is a rose blossom of near total perfection,
surrounded by her sisters in a vivid swirl of floral profusion. One of the commanding paradoxes of Camm’s
technique is his visceral application of the paint, gestural frenzied strokes;
a vibrating intensity underneath the surface-all coalescing into an intimate
and delicate presentation. A deft broad stroke of paint is transformed into the
soft curl of a petal.
Layers diverge as they build up in
varying degrees of complexity and depth. In the bottom of the painting thinned
out areas in the shadows and some sgraffito, (areas in the paint where it has
been scratched out) reveal the light foundation color underneath. To contrast
this, there are other areas within the leaves where the paint has been applied
thickly and even sculpted into undulating textures- this push and pull creates a tension that
animates the painting and draws one in, to gaze, to wonder and to feel a sense
of awe.
A rose’s evanescent grace continues to
inspire and stir the soul of humanity with its sheer beauty. Seth Camm reminds
of why: by profoundly capturing the eternal mystique that a rose casts upon us
through his skillful and reflective still life.
-Katherine Shevchenko,
art consultant, J.R. Mooney Gallery 1/2015
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