McClain Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Houston artist Rob Reasoner for ArtHouston 2013. Chromaticism showcases Reasoner's playfully contemplative line paintings. The artist's personal and improvisational process is developed intuitively as he yields colorful and optically engaging paintings, no matter the scale.
Reasoner's study of music theory and piano informs his exploration of rhythmic lines of saturated color in his paintings. The limitless parade of uniform stripes remind one of visual manifestations of tempo and are the result of his exploration of dividing pictorial space between equal units, punctuating each with a different hue. Color has long been an interest of the artist and each painting leads the viewer on a visual experience of navigating the distinct cadence and colors used. The exhibition title: Chromaticism refers to an influential compositional technique in classical music which juxtaposes various musical notes based on dissonant tones to create a heightened tension or emotion. Much like the striking Romantic Era musical compositions by Chopin, Beethoven, Bruckner, Wagner and eventually Mahler who revolutionized and expanded tonality, Reasoner creates a stimulating interplay between colors and a visual movement in his works akin to musical compositions.
For the paintings in this exhibition, Reasoner set out with rules for each work. His 12-foot-canvas Untitled 2.013 has four parts consisting of 63 lines with 59 colors each repeating one time in each quadrant similar to musical notes. Reasoner's impromptu choice of color and the dialogue between each line creates a unique optical vibration. Each painting reflects the artist's desire for order and perfection through a spontaneous, but still structured, process.
This is the Rob Reasoner's second solo exhibition at McClain Gallery. Rob Reasoner was a Hunting Prize finalist in 2008 and has work in private collections across the country.