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Log Paintings by Alison MoritsuguArtist <a href="http://alisonmoritsugu.com" target="_blank">Alison Moritsugu</a> gives fallen logs new life with her beautiful landscape paintings. Inspired by the mid-19th century Hudson River School art movement, Moritsugu’s paintings are an idyllic representation of what the American landscape looked like before industrialization and strip malls took over. The New York-based artist only sources her wooden canvases from trees that were naturally fallen or <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/salvaged-materials" target="_blank">salvaged</a> from other uses.1
Log Paintings by Alison MoritsuguRather than disguise the log’s original form, Moritsugu paints directly on the wood and leaves the existing cracks and holes intact.2
Log Paintings by Alison MoritsuguRather than disguise the log’s original form, Moritsugu paints directly on the wood and leaves the existing cracks and holes intact.3
Log Paintings by Alison MoritsuguHowever, the landscape’s canvas, the cross section of a tree, contrasts with the idyllic celebration of nature to remind the viewer of destruction and industrialization.4
Log Paintings by Alison Moritsugu“My work reveals how idealized images of the land shape our concept of the natural world – in essence, how our experiences are mediated by the mechanisms of art and culture,” writes Moritsugu. “Today, photoshopped images of verdant forests and unspoiled beaches invite us to vacation and sightsee, providing a false sense of assurance that the wilderness will always exist. By exploring idealized views of nature, my work acknowledges our more complex and precarious relationship with the environment.”5
Log Paintings by Alison MoritsuguShe will be displaying her works at New York’s Littlejohn Contemporary from November 12 to December 12, 2015.6
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