Through the innovative artistry of Alison Moritsugu, traditional bucolic landscapes are reimagined as immersive, poignant pieces that challenge the audience’s perception of nature and art. Drawing inspiration from revered 18th and 19th-century painters like Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church, Moritsugu creates paintings directly on the cut surfaces of tree trunks. These works transport the us into a bygone era of artistic expression, where untouched landscapes were celebrated as an infinite bounty. Yet, this portrayal of harmony is paradoxically disrupted by the direct juxtaposition of the painting’s surface — the raw and often jagged cross-section of a tree — serving as a stark reminder of ecological loss and human intervention.
Moritsugu’s artistry does more than blend classic techniques with modern consciousness; it provokes an intense dialogue about the legacy of landscape art and its implications. By taking landscapes out of their conventional canvas context and placing them onto the very wood that these depictions romanticize, she underlines the dissonance between our artistic idealizations and real-world environmental consequences. Through her unique approach, Moritsugu invites us to ponder the fleeting beauty of nature and the responsibility we bear in its preservation. Her work is a tribute yet a critique, merging nostalgia with a subtle but undeniable message of accountability and awakening for us all.
In my log paintings, I examine the contrivances found in landscape paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries. These landscapes, by artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church, were deeply rooted in the political constructs of the time and depicted the land as a bountiful Eden, a limitless frontier ripe for conquest. I take these images out of their familiar context, the framed canvas, and paint directly on wood slices with bark intact. These landscapes appear as an homage to the idyllic art of the Hudson River School yet, by viewing the painting’s surface, the cross-section of a tree, any sense of nostalgia or celebration of nature is countered by the evidence of its destruction.
Alison Moritsugu
More info: Website (h/t: Colossal).
