Interview with Christopher Winter

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Christopher Winter

Unnatural History

May 4 - June 30, 2012

Huxley’s Guide to Switzerland, 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 51 ¼ x 90 ½ in (130 x 230 cm)

Christopher Winter on “Unnatural History” Fayette Hickox: What do you mean by “Unnatural History”? Christopher Winter: “Unnatural History” not only refers to the state of new paintings but also human nature itself. Are we natural? The effect I that of walking through an idyllic landscape after taking mind-altering about surrealism— the paintings are grounded in objective reality, with vivid colors.

the animals in the want to achieve is drugs. It’s not clear lines and

FH: What were your inspirations for the new paintings? If not surrealistic, they are mindbending. CW: Good. I’ve been looking into staged illusions from magicians and cheap tricks. Optical illusions play a great role in painting and I’ve been exploring how painting on a two-dimensional canvas affects perceptions. Altered states of perception interest me as well—both real and enhanced by chemicals. FH: Can you tell me how this shows up in the paintings? CW: In the painting “Huxley’s ‘Guide to Switzerland,’” an adolescent couple is levitating in the Swiss Alps, seemingly following the path of the river beneath them. The title is inspired by Aldous Huxley’s famous experiments with mescaline that he chronicles in his book “The Doors of Perception.” The painting “Comfortably Numb” refers to the Pink Floyd song with a similar theme.


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