Oudry

Oudry’s work successfully establishes a balance between quasi-abstract and figural components through a delicate play of dense and intricate planes, balance of structure, proportion, spatial illusion, variations of color and lines. The expansive and open planes of vast, frozen, more Nordic scenery are structured horizontally. Their diffused light with longer shadows and misty terrains create a melancholic mood of solitude and introspection.

The horizontal divisions of vegetation border roads and reflective pools or mountains. Brushstrokes of deep greys and whites juxtapose a bright green foundation layer used by Oudry as if to provide a glow (of hope) from within. These large-scale canvases contrast with smaller, sharper, more distinct, firmer and vertically structured cityscapes. Painted in burnt Sienna they evoke a sensation of oppressive heat streaming from the sun-drenched, rocky plains of central Spain that imbued Oudry during his stay at the Caza Velasquez in Madrid.

Wandering through his landscapes, Oudry provides an occasion to contemplate and reflect on the world devoid of civilization, or rather, the impact that the latter may have on the former.