“Every good painter, paints what he is” Jackson Pollock
Withevery spill, stroke, dripand swirl, amyriadof colours formacomposition; colour, line, gesture and formwork harmoniously to culminate in a uniquely complex and compelling maze. These mazes are undeniably the work of American born painter Alex Echo, who, with an enviable reputation as one of the world’s greatest abstract painters, has distinguished his art from convention, tradition and the familiar. Imbued with personality, Echo’s creations form an extension of the self. There is an exquisite chaos to his work, with autonomy and chance guiding the fast paced creation of his canvases. His artistic process is both immediate and rehearsed, and this dichotomy between order and disarray permeates the surface of every canvas. Avoiding the restraints of convention Echo has honed a technique which not only emphasises the physical act of painting but calls upon the subconscious, connecting his inner self with the canvas on a far deeper level. Speaking of his creative process Echo is open to the fact that every piece conjures an inner battle and struggle within himself. Full of joy but never free from the pains of self doubt, Echo’s work draws upon the highs and lows of his life experiences. His paintings are a cacophony of emotions; at once beautiful and melancholic. Through the application of paint, his canvases play host to a ballet of light and colour, swirls and spills, as he seeks to form a harmonious balance. As a disciple of techniques practised by Rothko, Pollock and De Kooning, and growing up in 1950s America, the Abstract Expressionist movement has bestowed a great influence upon Echo. Transforming the canvas into an arena in which to act, his work echoes that very sentiment. This careful study of his predecessors extends beyond that of the Expressionists; his synthesis of the ideals of the Impressionists, the abstraction of the Minimalists and the psychological depths of the Conceptualists, has created a unique world which surrounds Echo’s work.
When viewing Echo’s collection of new paintings, Alchemy, his journey is evident.
In spite of its inevitable trials, Echo grasped life and celebrated it; here his art pays homage to this, and we are invited to view the spectacle.
Glyn Washington
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