Moses, Forrest (1934 - 2021)
Found 1 Works by this Artist
(1934 - 2021)
Lived and worked in
Forrest Moses (American, 1934 - 2021) For more than fifty years, Forrest Moses (1934 – 2021) was known for painting graceful visual responses to place through distinctive and complex rhythms of color, line, and form that reveal the sudden transcendent quality of the simple experience of being in nature.
Establishing a dynamic tension between abstraction and representation, Forrest Moses’s masterful depictions of serene woodlands and tranquil bodies of water emphasize both the tranquility of their subject matter and the eloquence of understated gestures. He presents the art of intimation rather than disclosure, where subtle color harmonies suggest seasons, expertly balanced compositions include no more than is necessary for the service of evocation, and a uniquely refined and fluid elegance informs every brushstroke.
Profoundly influenced by Japanese aesthetics, Moses embraces the principle of wabi-sabi: the realization that things become more beautiful as they decay, age, and transition. In this way, the marks of his oil paintings and ink-based monotypes reference the practices and philosophies of Sumi-e ink masters. During his career, Moses sought, in his words, "to discover nature’s truth and give life to a painted image by understanding the rhythms and pulses behind appearances.”
Throughout his career, Moses’ paintings and works on paper evoked a vision that strove beyond the literal, often inclining towards abstracted orchestrations of elegant color and line. As Pasatiempo art critic Michael Abatemarco wrote in 2019, “Essentially, [Moses’] paintings and monotypes are imagined landscapes not tied to any specific location. They are about mood and tone. But they conjure a feeling of place, often with a lightness of being.”
Forrest Moses was born in Danville, Virginia, and was educated at Washington and Lee University and the Pratt Institute in New York. His work is included in numerous major private collections and those of diverse public institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art. His monograph, Forrest Moses, published by Kensho Editions in 2001 and printed in Verona, Italy, is an elegant, full color presentation of this artist’s unique contribution to modern landscape painting.
https://lewallengalleries.com/artist/forrest-moses-1934-2021