Increscent
paintings and kôan boxes
28 December 2021 - 21 January 2022
INCRESCENT
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
—Marin Luther King Jr.
Embracing history and the continuum of centuries of narrative visual art is at the core of these paintings. I dissect those narratives to borrow and embody the relevant elements, then alter or discard that which is irrelevant. Acknowledging history, we learn to move forward and not emulate the past. Directed by history, I transform seductive contradictions into constructive affirmations while lingering in the persistent alchemical nature of painting.
These paintings are about gathering, accumulating and integrating diverse visual elements to fuel expansive growth and infinite possibility. Increscent is cumulative, deepening, waxing—the act of becoming full. It is multifaceted, referring not only to an extension of the premise with which I have worked since 2015, but also my methodology in painting.
Broadening my painterly vocabulary, I am incorporating photographs from my recent travels to Italy into some of the work. With veiled and shrouded imagery, I am excavating the sedimentary historical allegories of my ancestry which are the very basis of Greco-Roman and Abrahamic religions and cultures; stories I strongly feel have little relevance for 21st century humanity. The paintings and hybrid photo-paintings are multi-layered, stratified and perhaps visually perplexing at times—they contain echoes of the chaos inherent in negotiating antiquity, while attempting to find a sustaining sense of benevolence in the moment.
This body of work explores how merging, obscuring and rephrasing these mired epic tales can be applied to the issues we face as human beings inhabiting one planet—concerns that are vast, troublesome and seemingly overwhelming. Through my investigations with photography and painting I see unlimited potential, realizing virtue runs stronger than the nefarious forces surrounding us.
I am questioning and challenging ideologies, perceptions, beliefs and convictions—my own, and others. Accepting that we are made by history within an Increscent framework is where I find clues to suggest a more universally tolerant future by capturing the ancient and fusing the present.
—Lawrence Fodor, 2021
Phoenix for Henri and Achilles, 2018-21, oil, alkyd resin and linseed oil on canvas, 84 x 82 inches /213 x 208 cm , private collection
St George and the Dragon IV
St. George and the Dragon IV
St George and the Dragon IV, 2015-2019
oil, alkyd resin and linseed oil on canvas
60 x 60 inches / 152.5 x 152.5 cm
$20,000.
The legend of St George slaying the dragon originated in Cappadocia, a Roman Empire province of Anatolia (present day Turkey), around the 11th or 12th century and evolved in Libya in the 13th century as the Golden Legend. The narrative certainly has pre-Christian origins (Perseus and Andromeda, Typhon, etc.) transmuting and altering within Western Christian and Chivalric romance traditions as its popularity rose among the knights of the First Crusade fighting in Antioch and Jerusalem in the 11th century.
Fusion: Eremo Le Celle I
Fusion: Eremo Le Celle I
Fusion: Eremo Le Celle I, 2021
oil on archival pigment print on paper
44 x 44 inches / 112 x 112 centimeters (paper)
48 x 48 inches / 122 x 122 centimeters (framed)
$10,500
Kôan Box Yellow Moon on Green
Kôan Box Yellow Moon on Green
Kôan Box Yellow Moon on Green, 2018-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax, and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ imbedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
Fusion: Borghese Roma I
Fusion: Borghese Roma I
Fusion: Borghese Roma I, 2021
oil on archival pigment print on paper
44 x 44 inches / 112 x 112 centimeters (paper)
48 x 48 inches / 122 x 122 centimeters (framed)
$10,500
St George and the Dragon IX & X
St George and the Dragon IX & X
St George and the Dragon IX & X, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on paper on canvas panel
61.5 x 24 inches / 156 x 61 cm
Kôan Box Orange/Red/Alizarin
Kôan Box Orange/Red/Alizarin, 2014-21
oil, alkyd resin, linseed oil, wax and 23kt gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
A kôan is a story, anecdote or statement generally posed as a question in Zen practice serving to broaden insight into Buddhist teachings, provoke the ‘great doubt,’ develop a higher awareness of the moment and test the student’s understanding and progress in Zen.
—Lawrence Fodor, Kôan Boxes
Lawrence Fodor Increscent installation, 28 December 2021 through 28 January 2022
Pontormo’s Dilemma
Pontormo’s Dilemma
Pontormo’s Dilemma, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
78 x 52 inches / 198 x 132 cm
SOLD
—Lawrence Fodor
Kôan Box Deep Red/Black
Kôan Box Deep Red/Black
Kôan Box Deep Red/Black, 2019-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax, and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ imbedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
Fusion: MB Study + Pontormo IIIB
Fusion: MB Study + Pontormo IIIB
Fusion: MB Study + Pontormo IIIB, 2018-20
oil and alkyd resin on archival pigment print on paper
30 x 30 inches / 76 x 76 cm (paper)
40 x 40 inches / 101.5 x 101.5 cm (framed)
$3,150.
Fusion: Pompeii Arezzo I
Fusion: Pompeii Arezzo I
Fusion: Pompeii Arezzo I, 1/10, 2021
oil and alkyd resin on archival pigment print on paper
44 x 44 inches / 112 x 112 cm (paper)
48 x 48 inches / 122 x 122 cm (framed)
$10,500.
Fusion: Michelangelo + Perseus and Andromeda I
Fusion: Michelangelo + Perseus and Andromeda I
Fusion: Michelangelo + Perseus and Andromeda I, 2/10, 2018-21
oil and alkyd resin on archival pigment print on paper
30 x 30 inches / 76 x 76 cm (paper)
40 x 40 inches / 101.5 x 101.5 cm (framed)
SOLD
Friesen Gallery, Lawrence Fodor Increscent installation, 28 December 2021 through 28 January 2022
Phoenix for Henri and Achilles
Phoenix for Henri and Achilles
Phoenix for Henri and Achilles, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
84 x 82 inches / 213 x 208 cm
SOLD
—Lawrence Fodor
Fusion: Flavian Anfiteatro Pozzuoli I
Fusion: Flavian Anfiteatro Pozzuoli I
Fusion: Flavian Anfiteatro Pozzuoli I, 2021
oil and alkyd resin on archival pigment print on paper
44 x 44 inches / 112 x 112 cm (paper)
48 x 48 inches / 122 x 122 cm (framed)
SOLD
Lawrence Fodor Increscent installation, 28 December 2021 through 26 January 2022
Pontormo’s Wings
Pontormo’s Wings
Pontormo’s Wings, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
84 x 90 inches / 213 x 228.5 cm
SOLD
Kôan Box: Autumn II
Kôan Box Autumn II
Kôan Box Autumn II, 2017-20
oil, alkyd resin, linseed oil, wax and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
Kôan Box: Yellow/Yellow-Green/Ochre
Kôan Box Yellow/Yello-Green/Ochre
Kôan Box Yellow/Yellow-Green/Ochre, 2014-20
oil, alkyd resin, linseed oil, wax and 12kt white gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
$4,200.
after Portrait of the Halberdier
after Portrait of the Halberdier
after Portrait of the Halberdier, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
40 x 38 inches / 101.5 x 96.5 cm
SOLD
Hercules and Nessus II
Hercules and Nessus II
Hercules and Nessus II, 2017-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
40 x 38 inches / 101.5 x 96.5 cm
SOLD
Kôan Box White/Peach/Lavender
Kôan Box White/Peach/Lavender
Kôan Box White/Peach/Lavender, 2018-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
Kôan Box 15 Cairn Reds
Kôan Box 15 Cairn Reds
Kôan Box 15 Cairn Reds, 2019-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
$4,200.
Kôan Box Trace Red/Red-Violet
Kôan Box Red/Red-Violet
Kôan Box Trace Red/Red-Violet, 2019-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
Kôan Box 18 Cairn Orange-Reds
Kôan Box 18 Cairn Orange-Reds
Kôan Box 18 Cairn Orange-Reds, 2019-21
oil, alkyd resin, wax and 21kt moon gold on wood cigar box w/ embedded items
10.5 x 8.25 x 2 inches / 26.5 x 21 x 5 cm
SOLD
You and I
You and I
You and I, 2019-21
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
40 x 38 inches / 101.5 x 96.5 cm
SOLD
Annunciation after Pontormo I
Annunciation after Pontormo I
Annunciation after Pontormo, 2019-20
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
46 x 44 inches / 117 x 112 cm
$10,500.
after Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap
after Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap
after Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap, 2019-20
oil and alkyd resin on canvas
40 x 38 inches / 101.5 x 96.5 cm
SOLD
You and I, detail