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Artist's Statement May 5 - May 29, 2001
Whether it's his series of works resembling Dutch, Flemish and Italian still-lifes, his lawyer series or "Child's Play", Gerson creates dream-like fantasies through technically masterful painting that beckons us to consider life's irrationality. In a richly ironic, animated style Gerson confronts our mortality and our yearning for meaning in life. He explores the "lost world" of our childhood and forces us to contemplate life's absurdities. Gerson is a native of New Orleans who received his MFA from the University of New Orleans, and his JD from Tulane University School of Law.
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"Riverrun is a portrait of an imaginary river. Though many elements and
aspects are derived from actual rivers, I have tried to stay away from
"portraits" of real river scenes. Of course, living in New Orleans I am
greatly influenced by the Mississippi River; however, I have tried to
think of my painting as a painting of all great rivers. From the
beginning of this project I had the idea of a single image wrapping
itself continuously around the gallery with as few breaks between the
paintings as possible. This enhances the idea of the line and the length
of the river as it courses throughout lives and the world. The imagery
shifts from completely urban scenes through various transitions until it
gets to an entirely natural setting or vice versa, depending on where
you start. The title is derived from James Joyce's novel Finnegan's
Wake, which begins with the word "Riverrun". He too (and I am not
comparing myself with Joyce) used the idea of "river" in his novel but
used it as an underlying metaphor and not simply as a reference to the
Liffy running through Dublin. Clearly, the idea of "rivers" has endless
metaphors attached to it, from Heraclitus never stepping in the same
river twice to Huck Finn losing himself on the current of the
Mississippi to Alberecht stealing the ring of gold from the
RhineMaidens. I have tried to consider all of this as well as
encompassing the flavor of an actual river carrying ships, barges and
work boats, a river that people actually live beside. Clearly, rivers
are powerful forces of nature as well. We struggle constantly to keep
its dangers at bay, though not always successfully.
The meandering of the river's journey encompasses everything, life,
death and all the debris that rises and falls in and out of the endless
churning of its currents."