Last Friday saw the exciting and highly anticipated opening of Danny Gretscher’s solo exhibition ‘When it’s in the middle of the day, and the moon is shining’ at Rhodes Contemporary Gallery. The collection explores themes of nostalgia, spirituality, and dreams through whimsical, colourful scenes that experiment with figuration and abstraction.
A key piece from this collection is 'Moonwatching,' a large-scale painting that depicts a number of semi-abstracted bodies, existing in a dreamlike landscape. The figures are assembled by overlaying colours and forms, carefully designed by Gretscher to create a sense of depth and movement. This method of 'assemblage' through painting lends the piece a sense of freedom and whimsy; vivid blocks of colour are intricately disrupted by scattered drawing and mark-making.
This detailed experimentation with colour and form roots from Gretscher's spiritual connection to the world around him. His paintings represent encounters with the everyday; yet Gretscher turns these moments into surreal and intangible scenes that envelope the viewer, drawing us into the dreamy world he creates.
'At times I am visited by impulses from the depth of the universe that occur to me as emotions. I give a colourful garment to these sensations; sometimes drawing a few lines is enough to make them all of a sudden visible.’
'Moonwatching' feels almost like a divine encounter. The scene is calm and contemplative, despite its riotous and energetic colour. It is a painting to be explored; every corner offers a new symbol or detail to be discovered, encouraging the viewer to reflect and interpret. The small angel figure in the top left of the scene evokes a sense of the mystical and the fantastical, similarly kindled by the blue line that halos the lounging figure towards the bottom right.
Circus-esque patterns repeat throughout his works; shapes like diamonds and polka-dots leads the viewer through playful, experimental narrative that carries through this collection. Another reoccurring motif is the text that appears in many of Gretscher's works. Titles, phrases and dates are scawled, crossed out, and rewitten - the scribbled writing further invokes the sense of childhood and nostalgia.
Additionally, the use of the large-scale wooden board - a somewhat unconventional canvas - provides hardwearing and durable surface for his practise. Gretscher's painting process is very active: he tends to paint and repaint in transluscent layers, which he then scratches, scribbles, and works into; the result is textural and tangible, with dimensions of colour and tone that create depth within the pieces. These thick layers overlap in ‘Moonwatching’ throughout the three panels - the longer you stand in front of this piece, the harder it is to look away.
For more information about ‘Moonwatching’ and others in this Danny Gretscher collection please email info@rhodescontemporaryart.com .
