CHUCK KELTON: L'Alchimie du Paysage (the Alchemy of Landscape)

Galerie Miranda is delighted to present a solo exhibition of works by American artist Chuck Kelton (b. 1952, USA). The exhibition title l'Alchimie du paysage (the alchemy of landscape) provides us with a direct entry to Kelton's work:exploring and working with darkroom chemicals used throughout the history of photography, the artist manipulates photosensitive paper to create abstract, emotionally-charged artworks that are reminiscent of canyons, mountains,oceans and forests.

Kelton makes unique, camera-less photographs, working in full daylight outside of the darkroom and spending weeks,sometimes months, sketching and preparing each work. A master printer, Kelton is also a passionate collector of photographs, practical manuals and tools from the history of photography. He explores 19th century techniques and chemistry such as gold chloride and selenium, that he combines with bleach and developer to coax a lush palette of colours from light sensitive, traditional silver gelatin papers. Describing his approach as "calligraphy with chemistry",Chuck Kelton combines chemogram and photogram techniques: the image in a photogram is the result of  paper to light — writing with light — whereas the image in a chemogram is the outcome of exposingphotographicpapertodeveloperandfixer—writing with chemistry. Keltonoftenfoldsthepaperintwo-atrangressiveact in photography - creating a visual break that is understood by the viewer as a horizon line creating depth of field in the artist's misty palette.

Kelton’s works are evocative of other media such as watercolor, oil painting or charcoal drawing, and his glowing skies are reminiscent of Turner, Le Gray, Constable. A recent suite of his abstract work is entitled 'A View, Not from a Window'in reference to the 'first photograph in history' taken in 1827 by Nicéphore Nièpce, Point de Vue de Gras, taken from the window of his home in Saint Loup de b Varennes. Inafittingnodtothehistoricalreferencesofhispractice,ChuckKelton'sfirst Paris exhibition will be held at Galerie Miranda in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, situated only 100 metres from the site of Louis Daguerre's Diorama and photographic laboratory that burnt down in 1839.

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