Matthew Alexander
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MATTHEW ALEXANDER — In the catalog foreword for Alexander’s 2001 solo show at David Messum Gallery, John Russell Taylor, art critic for The Times (London), discussed Matthew Alexander’s style and historical context:
“Of course, historically Alexander’s kind of painting would not exist if the classic Impressionists had not existed before it. But there seems to be no question of hollow mimicry anywhere in his work: as a painter Alexander is very much his own man. And as John Wayne heroes in Hollywood movies used to say, a man must do what a man must do. Clearly, what this man has to do is paint the world as he sees it: the high wide East Coast skies, the warm sparkle of sunlight falling through trees in the park, the cold, pure light reflected off snow, the strong patterns of light and shade as people at leisure huddle round sunshaded tables at noon or candlelit tables of an evening.
None of this would be possible if Alexander were not totally sincere and single-minded in what he does. Every canvas embodies a fresh experience, initially for him and then for us. The tough reasonableness is definitely there beneath the slight lyric grace. But we forget all about it in the sheer pleasure of feeling that, along with the painter, we have been there, done that.”
