…with Sea Pictures, I wanted to indicate a man by his index; by his trace rather than his likeness. I wanted to indicate humanity through mark and measure. – Richard Höglund
Richard Höglund’s Sea Pictures all feature a simple horizon line, an abstract formal element that conjures the experience of looking out into space. Rather than portray a figure, the artist inscribes a gestural mark on the surface that he likens to a portrait. The drawn marks do not refer to anything outside themselves, but retain the energy and spirit of the artist. To make the marks, the artist uses the historical silverpoint technique where he drags a silver implement across the canvas, which is often prepared with other materials (ie: bone powder and marble dust) that will react with the metals and change with the passage of time. Höglund’s work has been featured in shows in the US and Europe, and he lives and works in Paris.