Clear Light Day – Soft Dark Night

We are delighted to invite you to the solo show Clear Light Day – Soft Dark Night presenting new
works by Eric Cruikshank (Edinburgh).
– Many thanks to the British Council and the Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust for supporting the
exhibition.

Eric Cruikshank (Edinburgh) will present new works from 2017 in his solo show Clear Light Day –
Soft Dark Night at Das Esszimmer. The starting point for these works is the landscape, not as a literal
representation, but instead focusing on the emotive qualities of place. Using an objective palette tied to his family’s
home in the Scottish highlands, colour acts as a vehicle to reveal the picture planes underlying points of reference;
with the structure, design, and colour harmony being grounded in the everyday, the viewer is encouraged to
readdress notions of their surroundings, where the familiar is opened up and made full of possibility.
Daniel F. Herrmann, Eisler Curator & Head of Curatorial Studies at Whitechapel Gallery, London (UK) describes
Eric Cruikshank’s work approach as “…analysing the qualities of colour and light. Instead of imitating landscapes, it explores
notions of painterly space. And instead of illustrating stories, it investigates the process of painting itself.” and “With
its focus on the chromatic qualities and the process of painting, Eric Cruikshank's work stands in a long art historical tradition.”
“I always come back to the base construct elements. Shape, colour, and surface build the foundational support and elevate
the works concepts, allowing the viewer to uncover layers of potential meaning as each element is considered. In the absence
of imagery or narrative, the panels are left open to interpretation, as an almost blank plane to reflect the viewers own
emotions and ideas.” (Eric Cruikshank, Artist Statement)
Cruikshank applies the paint in thinly layered colour bands. By utilizing a subtraction technique, the surface is
worked until a balance is reached. The delicate forms that remain give the effect of a monochromatic finish when
Das Esszimmer – space for art+ | Mechenstrasse 25, D-53129 Bonn | www.dasesszimmer.com
first viewed. Through the resulting veil of paint, shimmering traces of tone flicker on the edge of focus, where the
surface holds the gentlest luminosity and modulating volume. The works are completed with a meticulous level of
control, creating a plane that bears no brush marks, removing evidence of the hand of the artist and any imprint of
technique. With this removal, the colour field comes under closer scrutiny - on approaching the work, colour pulses
in constantly shifting patterns, on withdrawing, these patterns blend, bleed and fuse into a vibrant continuous
field, inviting a highly tuned visual attentiveness.