Reflections 1984

Eyvind Earle’s ‘Reflections’ uses striking blues to construct an immersive, dreamlike seascape. I imagine he started with the darks, building up the layers like a nocturne. He might have stood back, squinting, letting the image slowly emerge. It's got this almost digital feel, and I’m thinking of someone like Hiroshi Sugimoto, but in paint. Look at the hypnotic rhythm of these linear waves. Earle’s careful layering gives it a sense of depth. The cliff edge is so stark and abrupt—it’s as if the world is cut in two. I wonder if he wanted to capture a moment of transition? There’s a push-and-pull between representation and abstraction here. He invites us to lose ourselves in the shimmering depths, like Agnes Martin’s subtle bands of color, but with a darker undertone. These artists are always responding to one another through form and feeling. Painting can be an invitation to find our own sense of balance in the uncertain.