Elysium 36

Artwork Description:

Heavily inspired by the majestic sunsets and ethereal light, Kris Ancog’s new body of work ‘Elysium’ seeks to capture the experience of the infinite and the transcendent.

Mostly referencing the semi-abstract landscape paintings by JMW Turner, Ancog builds layers of oil on textured under paintings to achieve the translucent and vibrant colours reminiscent of works of the old maters. However, he illuminate the landscapes with his expert use of tonal values utilising a contemporary palette that brings comforting warmth and elevating luminosity. The compositions are not based on particular place but rather imagined images of tumultuous yet serene vista, allowing us the experience the sublime.

Ancog’s Elysium series aims to evoke a sense of what is beyond us that we cannot comprehend. It invites us to question our dissociation from the sublime and have a renewed experience of it from a contemporary portrayal of the vastness of nature.