Avant le Jour 1986

James Bishop created 'Avant le Jour' using oil on canvas, presenting us with a study in color and spatial relationships. The canvas is divided into horizontal registers. A large ochre field dominates the upper portion, its texture subtly modulated. Below, a band of off-white mediates between the ochre and a lower rectangle of pale gray, almost white. Bishop masterfully uses color not to represent but to create space. The registers don't just sit next to each other; they interact, pushing and pulling, creating a sense of depth and volume. The seemingly simple composition belies a complex understanding of perception. 'Avant le Jour' engages with the formalist concerns of color field painting. It invites us to consider how color, shape, and the materiality of paint itself can evoke emotion and intellectual engagement. By destabilizing traditional notions of representation, Bishop opens up a space for pure aesthetic experience.