New Paintings by Matthew Girson: Still Life at 4:00am

Matthew Girson’s paintings invite us to see in diminishing light. At 4:00am colors dissolve into grey and our eyes struggle to discern detail and form. As in previous work, Matthew relies on restrained color and the physicality of the paint to reflect on loss, absence, and things we may be lacking as we look at brush marks on his painted surfaces. The marks and the surfaces are just as important to him as the subjects he paints, but the things he paints are not as important as the things he chooses not to include.

These still life paintings depict empty domestic vessels and floral prints. Absent are the flowers themselves, their color, and their intimations of caring and beauty. Instead, the caring is in the attention to touch, nuance of brushwork, and subtle shifts in color. That color is present although slow to reveal itself. The paintings are generous, albeit slow to give. Their beauty is gleaned in the duration of time taken with them, as they patiently make themselves present.

Matthew Girson Bio

Matthew Girson makes paintings that explore the depth and range of the discipline as a physical medium, historical subject, and poetic opportunity. Specific themes in his paintings over the past 30 years include the relationship between abstraction and representation and how they operate within modern democracies. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, and will be an Artist In Residence at the Lost and Found Lab in Connecticut in March 2027. His work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. He is a Professor in the Art School at DePaul University where he teaches painting, drawing, and seminars on contemporary art.