With an abiding love for nature and a style inspired by the Hudson River School, Lauren Sansaricq aims to express philosophical ideals in the language of landscape.
 
For Lauren Sansaricq (b. 1990), painting serves as a reflection of the artist’s appreciation for the beauty of nature. In her careful study and re-creation of land, trees, and sky, Sansaricq has found that painting also develops and intensifies her love for natural creation, in which she finds profound lessons on life and human experience.


Lauren Sansaricq, “Forest Interior With the Hudson River,” oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in.
 
“One of many things I have learned from being a landscape painter is I have gained a true appreciation of nature and a heightened awareness of nature,” says the artist. “More often than not I find we take for granted the beauty that nature provides to us; I feel that the more we can appreciate this beauty — whether through painting, writing, or just simply observing — the happier we will be. By studying nature in any way, one starts to see broader themes, such as death and rebirth and the ever-changing cycle of all things, and that we too are a part of this beautiful cycle.”
 

Lauren Sansaricq, “Mount Adams From the Base of the Auto Road,” oil on panel, 16 x 20 in.

A contemporary transcendentalist, Sansaricq considers the contemplation of nature as a worthy pursuit that produces deep philosophical insights. Paintings like “Home in the Wilderness” visualize the intimacy with nature espoused in Henry David Thoreau’s classic Walden. Whether visualizing themes of hope and perseverance or death and rebirth, all of Sansaricq’s paintings begin with the simple tenet that nature is beautiful and deserves our appreciation.


Lauren Sansaricq, “Sunrise Over the Hudson,” oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.
 
Stylistically as well as conceptually, Sansaricq’s work is indebted to the art of her predecessors. Her scenic landscapes, framed by strong vertical elements on the borders and bathed in golden light, clearly reference the work of the Hudson River School. Speaking to specific artists who inspire her, Sansaricq lists historical painters Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, George Inness, and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, adding that she considers Erik Koeppel the best contemporary landscape painter. For Sansaricq, the lessons of transcendentalism and the visual language of traditional landscape painters endure in significance. 


Lauren Sansaricq, “Twilight After the Storm,” oil on panel, 16 x 20 in.
 
“I feel that traditional landscape painting will always be relevant, whether today or hundreds of years from today,” explains Sansaricq. “Some think of traditional landscape painting as associated with movements of the past, but to me the ideals that it conveys are just as relevant now as in any other time. I say this because the themes of great traditional landscape painting are universal: they express what it means to be a human being, what it means to feel and see beauty. Just as anyone can appreciate a beautiful sunset lighting up the sky, so I feel that anyone can appreciate a great landscape painting depicting such a beautiful experience.”
 

Lauren Sansaricq, “View From Boscobel,” oil on canvas, 21 1/4 x 30 in.

Lauren Sansaricq was raised in Columbia County, New York, and apprenticed at a young age to painter Thomas Locker. She continued her arts education in drawing and painting at the Grand Central Academy of Art. In 2011 Sansaricq was featured in a solo exhibition at New York’s Hawthorne Fine Art, titled “Nature’s Poetry.” She is a three-time recipient of the Hudson River Fellowship and has also won the Henriette Reiss Award for the arts.
 
Sansaricq is represented by Hawthorne Fine Art and McColl Fine Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her work will be featured in the upcoming exhibition “The Glory of the White Mountains: The Landscapes of Lauren Sansaricq and Erik Koeppel,” scheduled to run in September at the New Hampshire Antique Co-Op in Milford, New Hampshire.
 
To see more of Sansaricq’s paintings, and to read the latest news on her work, visit the artist’swebsite and blog.


LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here