In his spare time, 16th-century polymath Leonardo da Vinci became the first to observe that sunlight reflected from the Earth reflected back to the Moon and back again, a natural phenomenon that illuminates a lunar night. That da Vinci glow (the old moon in the new moon’s arms) is commonly called Earthshine and is also the name of Zoe McGuire’s new show at the Library Street Collective, her first in Detroit.
An artist vividly praised for her vibrant, ethereal paintings, McGuire builds upon past work in big, synesthetic, conceptual colorscapes that are both humbling and awesome, as she explores relationships with chroma and shape, with family, humankind, nature and the cosmos. “I’m mesmerized by the transference of consciousness on a cellular level from parent to child … united through love and experience that ultimately represents the webbed connection of our entire species.” Much like the spirituality of Agnes Pelton and ecological harmony Judy Chicago, McGuire maximizes the power of color and perfection of geometrical forms that undulate with life in visual studies. She examines our perceptions and connections to each other, as well as the natural world, in her case, inspired by the sun, which fuels her own energy. Kazuo Ishiguro’s book Klara and the Sun presents a title character who feels guided by “the loveliness of the sun’s nourishment falling over us.” This new series of paintings presents a universe that radiates, reflects, and yes, nourishes the spirit. —Juxtapoz
