It’s common to talk to Western artists and hear many of the same names over and over again, including Russell and Remington. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it’s refreshing to hear Joshua LaRock mention artists like Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt and Frank Tenney Johnson next to artists such as American master John Singer Sargent or French painters Ernest Meissonier or William-Adolphe Bouguereau. LaRock, a contemporary realist who has found tremendous success in the West, is funneling these influences into his own exciting new Western work.
The Tracker, oil, 42 x 42”
“It’s funny because I had never really thought about the West until about five years ago, and I spent a big portion of my life in Texas and Colorado. I had never known of this world of painting until just recently. It’s been an interesting experience to explore,” the Maine-based painter says. “And the West is so particularly American too. There are only a few things like it, like jazz or some sports and things like that. For me, I was very influenced by the Europeans and their techniques, so I’ve been applying it to these very American images and just being overt about it. It’s been very satisfying.”
Of Golden Light and Red Earth, oil, 35 x 29”
LaRock will be showing new work at a solo exhibition opening September 11 at Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles. It’s this new batch of paintings where influences like Moran and Bouguereau can be seen. “Moran has always been a big first inspiration for me. It was his color and atmosphere that really hooked me,” he adds. “For Bouguereau, he had this delicate way of painting skin.
The Sun Shine Back, oil, 28 x 46"
I took a deep dive on him during my formal education. He painted in layers, and believed that success was painted throughout the whole canvas.”
These ideas come our clearly in The Tracker, a magnificent piece showing a figure kneeling by a pool of reflective water. It has Bouguereau’s delicate depiction of the figure, but with a Moran landscape in the background. And although it channels his inspirations, LaRock’s painting is a profound declaration of his arrival on the Western scene.
Monument Valley, oil, 23 x 58"
Other works include Of Golden Light and Red Earth, which shows his gentle depiction of light raking against the human face, and The Sun Shines Back, showing a magnificent horse and rider as if transposed through the West by way of a John William Waterhouse painting.
“These paintings are a synthesis of my work, experiences and traveling around the West,” the artist says. “Every painting is exciting right now because I think I’m finding my voice in these new pieces. It’s thrilling.”
Upcoming Show
Up to 10 works
Sept. 11-Oct. 2, 2021
Maxwell Alexander Gallery
406 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015, (213) 275-1060
www.maxwellalexandergallery.com
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