"I am interested in the finitude of the pastoral landscape. Paintings that describe inviting picturesque sweeps of countryside appeared on Roman walls and functioned as backdrops through the Renaissance, however the genre really came into its own during the Baroque period under the influence of Claude Lorrain. These idealized views combine and recombine motifs that evoke Arcadia, the land of Pan in ancient Greece: long vistas framed by large trees show glimpses of water, shepherds, livestock, and mythological figures. A viewer can also always find evidence of civilization, sometimes in the form of architectural capriccios, sometimes in the form of mercantilism. The genre remained hugely popular until the end of the 19th century when the bucolic pastoral lost cohesion; these ecological fantasies, which present the holistic ingredients of existence, seem to break down in the face of modernity." - RW
Ripley Whiteside was born in 1982 and grew up in Chapel Hill and Durham, NC. After living a few years in Montreal, QC, he now lives in Nashville, TN. In 2012 he graduated with a MFA from SUNY-Buffalo, and received a BFA from UNC-CH in 2008. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in the US and Canada, and has been a resident at Willapa Bay A.I.R., The Peanut Factory, I-Park, and The Vermont Studio Center. Whiteside teaches at Austin Peay State University and Belmont University. His works are part of many private collections all over the US and Canada.
Installation views credits : Michael Patten
