Harold Ancart’s work often examines the relationship between humans and the environments they occupy. The present lot, Untitled, 2013, is part of a series in which the artist distorts printed images of tropical beaches with lines of soot. The wispy smudges of black color reference the destructive aftermath of fire, a phenomenon that has fascinated Ancart and inspired several of his works. In an interview with Purple magazine, the artist noted his attraction to painting something that "peope are naturally drawn to in terms of contemplation."i He refers to fire as "the ancestor of television," as "all the stories take place in the flames."ii
The conceptual tension between manmade images of nature and the physical residue of a natural process exemplifies an emphasis on materiality that underscores Ancart’s oeuvre–a notion that is reinforced by the work’s striking solid bronze frame. Simultaneously, the series explores the idea of escapism, which has long been a driving factor behind the ethos of the artist’s work. When discussing his metaphysical studies of spatial environments, Ancart notes a "longing" and sense of "wishing to be elsewhere" inherent to the human condition.iii While, in his own words, a "brutal" reality of life, this desire to be elsewhere also represents an opportunity to find beauty in the mundane and thus a fecund arena for artistic freedom.iv For the artist, his work "has to do with both the ability to dream of an elsewhere and the capacity to distill, or isolate and extract, elements of the everyday visual environment."v
Detail of the present work In Untitled, Ancart’s lines of soot scar the image of tropical paradise, casting literal and figurative shadows on an idyllic scene. Through these juxtapositional interventions, the artist creates dreamlike settings which give rise to questions about human ecology, asking viewers to consider the spaces they occupy and how this relationship is altered by concepts of desire, wealth and perspective. Works like the present lot can serve as gentle reminders that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
i Harold Ancart, quoted in, Emilien Crespo and Olivier Zahm, "Harold Ancart," Purple Magazine, Spring/Summer 2020, online.
ii Ibid.
iii Harold Ancart, quoted in, Andrew Winer "Harold Ancart and Andrew Winer," Gagosian Quarterly, February 22, 2023, online.
iv Ibid.
v Ibid.
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Provenance
C L E A R I N G, New York
Private Collection
Christie's, New York, November 16, 2018, lot 936
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York
23 September - 3 October 2024
91
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95
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168
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