Leila Cartier

LEILA CARTIER An Imaginary Land of Promise

CHRYSANTHEMUMS WITH SYMMETRY, 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

VEIW OF THE GARDEN, 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

II “Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry“ collage on paper. 24” x 18”

V "Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry" collage on paper. 24” x 18”

POPPIES 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

LILLIPUT 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

RHODODENDRON 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

VI "Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry" collage on paper. 24” x 18”

VIII "Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry" collage on paper. 24” x 18”

Bouquet, 2014 Oil on Canvas 62” x 52”

VII "Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry" collage on paper. 24” x 18”

III "Society of Gardeners: XII Bouquets of Jewelry" collage on paper. 24” x 18”

Still life with Copperhead Oil on Canvas 30” x 26”

Still life with Spider Oil on Canvas 30” x 26”

All is Vanity My paintings have always called upon heightened experiences of nature, perceptions of beauty, and modern day social constitutions. In recent work, individual portraits display what can be described as Darwinian manifestations of embellishment and performance. Paired together in diptychs, these portraits draw attention to the universal driving forces behind the character, impulses, and charades of living beings. Many of the non-human subjects in my portraits are chosen for their grandiose posture, unusually evolved appearance, and the way these attributes mimic those of their human counterparts. Ultimately, these paintings fall under the influence of the curiosities, affections, and melodramas as we know them here on earth. Recently, I have begun a new body of work where I merge techniques applied in separate past abstract and representational bodies of work.

These oil paintings are inspired by decadent novel Against Nature by JorisKarl Huysmans. In this novel, the main character Des Esseintes has become disillusioned by modern urban life and escapes to the countryside where he carefully designs a unique aesthetic environment. This atmosphere is saturated with rich colors, patterns, and nature, all of which aim to appease his cynical attitude and desensitized palate. His dissatisfaction with the world and the people of his past seem exaggerated and border on hallucinatory.

Several images, including the new works on paper, have been based on the vintage prints and engravings by British Horticulturalist Robert Furber and American Illustrator Charles Allan Gilbert. The gardenscapes, bouquets, and portraits that are part of this series are meant to be the distorted visions and memories of Des Esseintes.

Biography Leila Cartier grew up amidst the Appalachian Mountai ns in Abingdon, Virginia. She received a BFA in Art and Art History at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, PA, and spent a year studying at Temple University Rome, Italy. Her MFA in Painting and Drawing is from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL During this time she also studied the Arabic language for two years at nearby DePaul University.

Cartier is a Jacob K. Javits Fellow and recipient of the Community Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago Scholarship. She has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions and her work is represented by SchmidtDean Gallery, Philadelphia, and Mallory Fine Art, Abingdon. She currently lives and works in her hometown of Abingdon, and has been the curator of William King Museum of Art since 2009.

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