Erin Wright - Maki Gallery - Tokyo

Erin Wright - Maki Gallery -  Tokyo 

Erin Wright

 The Thief 2023

Acrylic on canvas

106.7 x 189.9 x 3.8 cm

Visits to a range of Tokyo galleries endowed with artworks had the unfortunate effect of lowering my mood either because the subject matter was overly negative or the works themselves were poorly constructed. Other works suffered because of the limited sensibility of the artist. Occasionally the prevailing gloom was enlivened by one or two interesting pieces on show. Hence it was a delight to come across Erin Wright's work depicting perhaps a potential cat burglar on the loose or maybe the family pet in super hungry mode?

Entitled The Thief 2023, the work celebrates a cat’s quotidian behaviour of being sneaky, greedy, and stealthy in its greyish, dark, raw umber-striped coat, silently slinking around on top of a well-provisioned dinner table before a meal is served. As the cat is about to get its paws into the biggest, tastiest-looking fish,  the centrepiece of the table, the viewer is left to speculate whether this is a snatch and run or dinner for one on the table?

Pets in Japan are often pampered and any visit to a local  supermarket will reveal an amazing selection of delicacies from which owners of domestic beasts might choose to entice furry family members. Yet domestic pet scenes in paintings are somehow missing from mainstream contemporary art although there is no doubt that they themselves are integral to the urban and country side societal memory. A notable exception is the British painter David Hockney who has no hesitation in painting his beloved dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, accepting them as part of his family.

Given this apparent void, it is great to see this painting with its sense of universality as,  no matter what country you live in, the feline propensity to steal food intended for others is instantly recognisable Wright’s painting of the cat as a thief is a wonderful domestic image. Her acrylic painting system is equally savvy, and there are many subtle nuances of painting within The Thief  that in some ways is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Dutch painting, albeit created with a contemporary painting system

For example, in the image above which is part of the dinner setting through which the cat has tip toed around in avid exploration, there are two glasses on the grey green tablecloth. In the left-hand glass there is a beautiful refraction of transparent plum light at the base of the glass; it is very subtle and beautifully rendered in acrylic. Close by there are other traces of whitish reflection on the outside of the drinking utensil which seem to have a slight off-white ochre mix delicately added adding the slightest warmth to this most liminal trace of painting that has forensically shaped the form of the glass a very clever painting effect.

Lastly but most interestingly the aerial view of the motif seems to catch the cat unaware of any presence watching it about steal the fish, caught in the moment of analysis seeking the best way to retrieve fish from the dish without getting caught. This is a most crucial time for the cat as any  delay in the act of thievery within the space would not be propitious for a victorious escape with the prize. The communication of this tension makes for an  intriguing image that is well  painted.