FRESH FRIDAY | ALEX COuWENBERG

Simplified aesthetics have always been the calling card of mid-century modern design. Bold and earthy color tones, mixed with solid, geometric lines and shapes, have established and sustained the look. Alex Couwenberg has taken these ideals and transferred them into a visual art perspective, among other concepts.

Mainly associated with the simplicity of mid-century modern with an added Southern California flair, Couwenberg has expanded, creating a retro-futurist appeal. Although the compositions harmonize with the hard edge lines and geometric color blocks, they also coalesce onto a planar perspective. With no one focal point, his works mash around themselves within a central area in any one painting. Various vantage points with different focal points offer a certain chaos that is reminiscent of Futurism's focus on the industrial age and machines.

With the prolific development of mid-century modern style, Couwenberg has utilized the infamously non-ornamental manner to create a more complex aesthetic. By using thin layers of acrylic color, Couwenberg offers clean, hard lines and shapes that can be seen continuously mirroring themselves throughout the composition. A certain movement ensues, further assisting in the chaos.

In this way, Couwenberg has invigorated the time and time again mid-century modern ideal. All of the basics are there, but realized with a stronger sense of movement and more fulfilled approach to a Futurist quality. Couwenberg's compositions and color planes have constructed an active environment that is both engaging and simplistic.

St. James, acrylic on canvas, 2013.

Bellflower, acrylic on canvas, 2013.