KÜNSTLERPORTRÄTS:
SUSAN RITTER
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"Within Pieces"
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SUSAN RITTER, "three standing figures" - oil, first one executed May 1997, second one July 1998, third one July 2002, approx. size of each 76 x 42 in.
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Susan Ritter’s work deals with humanity - or her humanity - responding to the chaos in which we live. Ritter’s work is a direct reflection of concerns of social inequities and power abuses, waged both by individuals and organizations, consolidations of wealth, power and money, the appearance that consumerism has become our collective identity, the gotta-get-me-mine attitude, a concern for the conservative direction of our society and a lack of vision from our public at large. Under the belief that art has the power to communicate on many levels, many layers, Ritter attempts to communicate a sense of fear, frustration, disillusionment, fragmentation, isolation, sadness. And hope. Endless hope.
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SUSAN RITTER, "three pieces" - oil, May 1998, approx. size of each 60 x 37.5 in.
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Ritter maintain the position that art represents the uniqueness of the independent vision, with images, ideas and positions that transcend the offensive barrage of the commercial image and thought. She also believe that the act of creating, be it through science, engineering, dance, social work, writing, singing - or any venue of creating - provides the creator with an unparalleled personal strength with freedom to develop their own benchmark, their own yardstick, their own validators.
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SUSAN RITTER, "all three" - oil, October 1999, 35 x 23 in.
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In a climate where "clinical" art is the genre of the day, Ritter challenges the trend, painting expressionistic works that are intensely human in emotion and experience, created with great depth and conviction. Through her own personal iconography, Susan Ritter presents a riveting journey that runs the gamut from the lyrical and sublime to the weighty presence of dower emotional positions. Ritter manipulates the strength, energy, color and integrity of primary forms, achieving an emotional and visual contradiction and simultaneous symbiosis. Ritter’s work is deeply rooted in figurative representation. A current theme in her work has shifted to an emphasis on amorphous structures largely resembling flowers with limited figurative elements, however, with the same tension of form and color that begs for additional scrutiny.
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SUSAN RITTER, "three April 2000" - oil, pastel, April 2000, 12 x 9 in.
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For example, the image "Flower Hands" (see above "three standing figures" - right picture), with its predominately warm and attractive color palette looks benign upon initial inspection. Further analysis reveals a standing female figure with flowers–flowers of anguish, question and confidence–as hands, with a raging emotional, shadow-like energy surrounding the forms as hands. Continued examination reveals that the entire strength of the painting rests in the suggestion of a face containing nothing but eyes, empty to the surface, sad, isolated and hopeful.
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SUSAN RITTER, "three GE flowers" - oil on architectural drawings, November/December 2001, 49 x 36 in.
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In a effort to embody the theme of art for the people, for all, Ritter seeks funding to bring to fruition a vision of her art hanging in place of advertising banners in Times Square, New York City. Examples presented integrate pieces from Ritter’s current body of work. Through the use of a varied color palette, she juxtaposes the inherent spirit of bright colors with the modified structure – sometimes awkward, sometimes tense, sometimes lyrical – of the form. These pieces, for Ritter, are her response to and reflection of the undertow of chaos in our current-day society. What results is Ritter's personal communication of a sense of frustration, awareness and hope for all of humanity, with access to all.
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SUSAN RITTER, "three proposals" - digital files, July 2002, various sizes
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