Russian Mountains, Ellen Lanyon

Exhibition Label:
“Holding Pattern: New Works at the Spencer Museum,” Sep-2014, Susan Earle and Cassandra Mesick
Ellen Lanyon’s paintings often contain surprising juxtapositions of disparate subjects placed in fantastical, dreamlike settings-a visual vocabulary that pays homage to European surrealism of the early and mid-twentieth century. Lanyon stated: “I have always utilized realism to enhance the ‘unrealism’ I wish to describe. Since narrative is an essential element in my work, the challenge is to make the medium as eloquent as the image.”
Russian Mountains is part of Lanyon’s Magic Series, a suite of paintings that connects to a wide array of material, from the artist’s personal memories, to popular culture, to objects she collected over time in shops and flea markets. The title Russian Mountains refers to a magic trick. The trick plays with the momentum of rolling water drops. The title may also refer to a name for an early type of roller coaster-a term still used in parts of the world to denote this type of theme-park attraction.