Employing the visual language of drawing, Degen creates a series of paintings that take the viewer on a journey into the artist’s world. Inspired by Eastern and Western aesthetic, philosophical, musical and esoteric traditions, Degen fills his work with a metaphysical aura that visually articulates humanity’s inextricable connection to the earth.
Trees and mountains turn to the warmth of the rising sun at dawn while the oceans respond to the pull of the moon. Whether sketching a figure transcendent in the natural world or rendering the luminous qualities of a moonlit scene, Degen’s mark-making radiates with a dynamism that transforms everyday events into a mystical experience. With each gesture, he imbues his work with life.
An image will arrive. I’ll pull out my sketchbook to quickly get it down on paper. This sketch is usually a collection of elements (a figure or objects) in a very particular composition. The composition and the elements are of equal importance. The shape may be the important thing. The number may be important. The pieces fit together like an equation, the words in a sentence, or notes in a melody.
– Benjamin Degen
