New York Gallery – about Henriette Sonnes Work
The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery says this about Henriette Sonnes last exhitbition.
Max Ernst once stated that “creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.” By placing objects in a contrasting dialogue, Danish artist Henriette Sonne connects everyday, pragmatic objects to an electrical outlet, imbuing them with a charge of potential energy and vitality. Her objects are personified by the electrical current that brings them to life, instilling in each object their impending fate. By placing her objects in this world of juxtaposition, she is able to diffuse her paintings with an abeyant quality, packed with a sense of waiting.
Ms. Sonne´s quiescent paintings have austere white backgrounds, simplifying the composition, which directs our focus to the imminent action in the foreground. Her soft brushstrokes and lustrous surfaces anchor the objects to reality, as their shadows create depth and perspective for the composition. She paints still lifes in a manner which strays away from her masterful forerunners, yet her paintings still maintain the same allegorical nature. However, her allegoires are of a wholly modern narrative. Ms Sonne has stated “I want to tell stories. In my own opinion, I paint portraits of present urban man with all the stress, freedom, and self centeredness- what we call the post-modern man. A person who makes choices from personal best interests not the best interest of society and close surroundings.” Therefore, her paintings represent man´s free will, and its disillusionment to modern society.
By
Amsterdam Whitney Gallery
511 West 25th Street
Chelsea
New York
NY 10001