AN Archives: Ann Hogle, Painting Toward Consciousness
Ann Hogle (American, 1927–) is an acclaimed artist based in New York City, renowned for her captivating paintings that visually explore the depths of color, form and texture. Her work has been featured at galleries and museums across America and Europe. In a 1979 article from American Artist magazine, she provided insight into what inspires her psychologically charged still lifes—the need to express a profound connection to nature—and described her creative process. Three main topics were highlighted, and they illustrate an approach to painting that was rooted in self-consciousness.
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Subjects. Early in her career, Hogle primarily painted figurative works and still lifes. Later on, landscapes began to dominate. Connecting these subjects and focusing on the creative process instead of the final result were her priorities.
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The Power of Painting. “Each painting is a new journey over uncharted ground. It is like my life—a search for meaning and confrontation with myself.” This is how Hogle described her relationship with painting. Each subject was an opportunity to strengthen her connection with the landscape and search for a deeper connection within herself.
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Process. Much of Hogle’s landscape painting took place en plein air. Over time, she settled on a process that began with a charcoal sketch, which she stabilized with spray fixative. She would then apply light layers of color to assess the strength of the composition. She would develop the painting to about 75 percent completion, and then she would finish it back in the studio. There, the work would evolve based on her personal connection to it, and she would sometimes wipe away hours of work done on location in favor of “working out the painterly problems.”
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