{"id":781280,"date":"2026-09-24T17:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/781280\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T17:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:16:12","slug":"red-moons-and-lightning-illuminate-sarah-lees-uncanny-landscapes-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/781280\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Moons and Lightning Illuminate Sarah Lee’s Uncanny Landscapes \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delicate waves, mysterious fissures, and diffused lightning set some of the scenes in Sarah Lee<\/a>\u2019s dreamy landscape paintings. Moons with strangely direct beams of light and supple mountains cradled by lakes and forests are tinged with magical realism<\/a>. Most of the works seen here are part of Lee\u2019s current solo exhibition titled Deeper at Albertz Benda<\/a>, in which the artist highlights different ecosystems and the nature of clarity and concealment. She often titles her works in reference to the colors she employs, such as \u201cEmerald Sky\u201d and \u201cRed Meadow in Mist.\u201d<\/p>\n

These apparently \u201cempty\u201d landscapes nod to the romantic Western tradition of seascapes and broad, open expanses that pandered to a problematic colonialist mindset, such as that of Manifest Destiny<\/a>. John O\u2019Sullivan, who coined the term, wrote that Americans possessed the fundamental right to \u201cto overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us\u2026\u201d In Lee\u2019s oil paintings, a gallery statement says, \u201cthe landscape pushes back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cEmerald Sky\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 56 x 52 1\/4 inches<\/p>\n

In the misty, fuzzy edges of glaciers, glowing skies, and mountain peaks, the artist imbues a nuanced sense of the uncanny. \u201cThere is a distinct feeling that more is hidden in the scene than what meets the eye: in the recesses of the water, underneath the ice, obscured by an outcropping of coral,\u201d the gallery says. The light perhaps shines a little too brightly or a gap opens up ominously in a field of ice. \u201cBefore Dark\u201d draws our attention to the serene surface of a lake, and what we can see is beautiful, yet one wonders if we\u2019re witnessing the calm before the storm.<\/p>\n

Lee harnesses the power of the unknown, examining the way nature both nourishes us and is the ultimate authority. Humans need clean water, food, and fresh air, and we rely on these things even as our collective actions cause the environment harm along with, paradoxically, ourselves. The artist\u2019s paintings provide a kind of filter through which to see this contradiction, as the land and water are elements we fundamentally rely on but cannot control.<\/p>\n

Deeper continues through October 10 in New York. See more on the artist\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cBefore Dark\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 70 x 80 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cRed Meadow in Mist\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 13 x 13 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Umber Sea\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 70 x 60 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cGolden Hour\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 14 x 15 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cGlacier\u201d (2024), oil on linen, 52 x 56 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cPath to the Forest\u201d (2026), oil on canvas, 34 x 36 inches<\/p>\n

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