D A V I D    K A S S A N

"My work is a way of meditation; of slowing down time through the careful observation of overlooked slices of my environment."

Raw, poignant and profoundly honest, David Jon Kassan's work aesthetically captures humanity in its true form. More than simply replicating his subjects Kassan seeks to understand them, acting as an empathetic intermediary between what he sees and what he creates. His adept draftsmanship and mastery of oil paint enable him to incite a connection between the subject and viewer, opening up an interface with which he is conscious not to interfere.

There are inherent contradictions in Kassan's work as it oscillates between representation and transformation, reality and abstraction. One sees this in his backgrounds, which are graphic and fragmentary, reminiscent of the work of Franz Kline and Robert Rauschenberg, and yet are at the same time highly refined 'trompe-l'oeil' texture studies. Kassan is constantly intrigued by the abstract visual elements in his urban surrounds. Broken lettering, billboards patterned with remnants of faded flyers, grids of hard architectural lines, shapes and numbers, all inspire the strong design elements underpinning Kassan's work. Like the figures before them, these weathered patinas import a sense of history, wherein the past, present and future culminate. Time is an unbroken continuum of experience, change, growth and decay, and both subject and background are visceral embodiments of this process.

Ultimately, there is a truth and timelessness to Kassan's work because it is deeply human. His paintings resonate with the fragility and heaviness of life, delivering the message momento mori: remember your own mortality. Those featured in his work are distilled in an exact moment in time, patiently contemplating their life in the present. We share in this present-moment appreciation, this slowing down of time, and see life for what it is.

 ~ Harriet Levenston 2012

 To view all available paintings    

Contact Andrew Liss for further information - andrew@galleryhenoch.com  

or call 917.305.0003