Eric Dever: Light, Energy and Matter
The William H. Hannon Library, and Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University, are pleased to present, Eric Dever: Light, Energy and Matter, an exhibition of 45 paintings which brings the viewer on a journey, similar to the path of the artist himself.
July 1st through July 30th, 2017
artist talk and tour: Saturday, July 1st, 11:00am-1:00pm; Wednesday, July 5th, 10:00am-12:00pm
In the beginning of this decade long process, I worked for 4 years with white paint alone, examining the material properties of paint and support. It wasn't until I had introduced black that I realized I was working with light itself. In 2010, I began testing a variety of prepared red hues and arrived at Naphthol Scarlet, closest in hue to Vermillion, a 9th century alchemical mixture of sulfur and mercury. Like breaking a long fast, this sudden experience of color was very exciting, the possibilities became exponentially larger and more complex.
This approach embraces color’s shifting correspondence with light (white), energy (red), and matter (black). These color phenomena also echo material nature, and the gunas, subtle qualities woven together that underlie all of existence as presented in Samkhya philosophy, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita (14.5):
Clarity, passion, dark inertia. These are qualities that originate from nature.
Overtime, I began to develop a sense of mixing qualities of light, energy and matter, as one would mix color or hue. Some paintings feel heavy or contained, while others are explosive or very light, though each work is related and part of a whole. The paintings are installed introducing a unique graded palette on each of the 3 library exhibition levels, which parallel the activity of learning and enlightenment itself.
Eric Dever (born, Los Angeles, 1962) moved to New York in
1986 to study painting and critical theory at NYU/Steinhardt
(MA’88-studio art). His work since the early 1990’s has been exhibited
throughout the United States and internationally. Dever’s paintings are
currently on view in the U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, Art
in Embassies, Department of State exhibition, and featured last summer
in a lecture by Gail Levin, Distinguished Professor of Art History,
Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, American Art and India: Cultural Exchange Among Artists of India and the United States,
at the Pollock Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, New York.
Dever's work was recently included in the permanent collection
exhibition, Parrish Perspectives: Art in Context, curated by Alicia G.
Longwell at the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York. Dever is represented by Berry Campbell Gallery, New York.
The Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University provides deep study of the Yoga tradition from multiple perspectives. The graduate program is designed to help students explore Yoga's rich history, its relationship to religion and spirituality, and immerse themselves in Yogic philosophy. Students study primary classical texts, learn the Sanskrit language, explore the health benefits of physical practice, and look at the placement of modern Yoga in today's world. The program meets the needs of Yoga students and teachers who are seeking to enhance their knowledge in both theory and application.
William H. Hannon Library
1 LMU Drive Los Angeles, California 90045
General Phone (310) 338-2788
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00pm, Saturday & Sunday 11:00am-8:00pm, closed Tuesday, July 4th
