Alannah Hopkin | Representing Art in Ireland | The Fenton Gallery Book | 2008
Tom Climent can create spectacularly dramatic paintings. With a characteristic and impressive use of chiaroscuro, areas of darkness are counter-balanced by vibrant colour. For him, the process of painting is both spontaneous and meditative, informed by his knowledge of art history yet not constrained by it. His art speaks directly to the emotions of the viewer, and avoids the predominant preoccupation of postmodern practice, such as irony, repetition, or references to popular culture.
Climent’s early work consisted of interiors painted in a loose, gestural style, sometimes sparked by specific works of Caravaggio, Velasquez, Degas, and others. Over time a more abstract approach evolved, often using a staight edge in constrast to areas of flowing paint. The scale of the work increased steadily, culminating in Obscura(2002), which measures 9 feet by 5 feet.
Climent’s father, the musician and composer Angel Climent, is Spanish, and as a child Climent often visited Spain. An extended stay near Malaga in 2003-4 led to the creation of smaller works in oil on board. This was the first time he had worked directly from nature, on the rooftop terrace of his house, overlooking sea and mountains. Works from this period –The Night of Ermina(2004) and Winter Light(2004), for example – are often divided by a horizontal plane, but are still closer to abstract explorations of light and shade than conventional landscapes.
Marking a return to the preoccupation he had with 17th century painting a decade ago, Minotaur’s Piano(2006) is an enigmatic work wich seems to have taken inspiration from Vermeer in terms of approach to subject, composition and colour.
Climent’s intense colour and intuitive composition remain a constant in his work, as he continues his exploration of the richly rewarding interplay between his subconscious emotional world and the physical process of painting.