What's Up? Magazine

Spanning three spaces of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C., are the bright colors and bold geometric paintings of Chris Martin, who is showcasing his first solo museum exhibition titled “Chris Martin: Painting Big,” running through September 23.

Martin is inspired by everything. He draws inspiration from music, textures, landscapes, neighborhoods, emotions, traveling, people, and more to create his pieces. Rhythmic patterns, geometric shapes, and repetition are popular themes. Martin encourages open interpretation of his work by “allowing the triggering of ideas, because abstract things can be related to almost anything,” he says.

Showcasing pieces as small as 45-inches wide and as large as 26-feet high, Martin’s works are displayed in the Corcoran’s atrium, Rotunda Gallery, and NOW Gallery. The majority of pieces are from his more than 30-year career and show growth regarding his style; other pieces were created specifically for the Corcoran. “Through the years I have developed an increased openness of materials. I use everything. I call all my pieces paintings, but I incorporate photographs, glitter, pennies, clothing, and even actual food into the paintings,” says Martin.

The most ambitious pieces on display are three 26-foot tall paintings suspended from the atrium ceiling. These paintings were challenging to create because Martin had to complete them while standing on the roofs of various buildings. “Part of what inspired those pieces was the incredible natural light that comes down in the atrium. I want people to feel the light and hope they will pick up that I am having fun,” he says.

For more information, visit corcoran.org or call 202-639-1700.

Above art by:
Chris Martin, Ganges Sunrise Asi Ghat Varanasi, 2002.
Oil on canvas, 129 x 143 inches.
Courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York.