- Louise LaBauve (1938 - 2019)
- Across the Bones
- Acrylic on Canvas
- 48 x 36 in
Emotional Resonance and Narrative Depth
'Meditative Transitions' is a body of LaBauve’s work which is not purely formal or decorative; instead, it responds to lived experience and environmental trauma, embedding meaning in the memory of upheaval and survival. This situates the series within a broader tradition of art that uses personal or collective tragedy as catalyst and narrative engine.
There is an implicit tension between disaster and resilience: the work reflects both the severity of natural disaster and the human capacity to reckon with loss. Aesthetically, this duality typically manifests through contrasts — perhaps between turbulent surface textures and contemplative compositions — suggesting mediation rather than spectacle.
Materiality and Technique
LaBauve’s pieces in this series use primarily acrylic media on paper, canvas, or artboard, a choice that supports both immediacy and subtlety in mark-making. Acrylic’s versatility allows for layering translucent washes as well as more opaque gestures; in the context of 'Meditative Transitions', such layering can visually evoke nature’s mutable presence — both fluid and disconcerting.
Overall Significance
The investment in process and perception places LaBauve’s work within a lineage of artists who blend personal response with broader environmental commentary, turning material gestures into sites of empathy and inquiry.
- Collections: Meditative Transitions