Sea Cliffs Rising 1995

Eyvind Earle painted "Sea Cliffs Rising," and I can only imagine the patience and vision it took! The cliffs are built up with incredible detail. There is a kind of miniaturization of landscape forms – everything is given equal attention, like it's all of the same importance. I sympathize with the artist, trying to imagine what he might have been thinking when he made this. Earle was known for his meticulous technique and stylized landscapes. The surface is smooth and deliberate. This feels like a very different sensibility to my own work! But there is an interesting emotional intensity to it as well. What kind of a person would patiently and devotedly create such a scene? This piece makes me think about the history of landscape painting, and of artists such as the Hudson River School painters. They shared a similar kind of awe when faced with the grandeur of the natural world. It's about a conversation across time. Every artist borrows, steals, and builds upon the ideas of those who came before. We are all in it together.