Meticulously layered and exquisitely composed, Emil Lukas’ Thread Paintings exist as reflections on the physical and psychological space of painting. His intricate, labor-intensive process of layering hundreds of multi-colored strands of thread results in airy, ethereal surfaces that seem to both project out and recede from the viewer in an illusionistic space. The artist describes these works as “atmospheres,” and the experience of light is palpable, seen here in Insistent Red #1813, where the sensation of a pulsing orb is generated with very little space and material. Lukas has exhibited extensively internationally and has been collected by, among others, the SFMoMA, San Francisco; the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle; and the prestigious Panza di Biumo Collection.
