Ena Swansea b. 1966
crinkle cuts, 2024
Oil on graphite on linen with artist frame
185.4 x 154.9 cm. (73 x 61 in.)
Copyright The Artist
Ena Swansea’s crinkle cuts (2024) captures the iconic Shake Shack building nestled within Madison Square Park, New York, and is infused with an introspective tension that speaks to the artist’s...
Ena Swansea’s crinkle cuts (2024) captures the iconic Shake Shack building nestled within Madison Square Park, New York, and is infused with an introspective tension that speaks to the artist’s personal connection to the space. Deriving its title from the Shake Shack motto, ‘Born in NYC, raised on crinkle cuts,’ the painting reflects Swansea’s command of both architectural form and atmospheric mood as she explores the intersection of the everyday and the monumental, rendering the familiar scene with a haunting, almost cinematic quality. The painting is also an ode to James Wines' visionary design, which redefined the role of architecture in the urban landscape and emphasised architecture as an experiential and contextual phenomenon rather than mere aesthetic.
The composition of crinkle cuts is strikingly evocative, dominated by an overcast sky that looms ominously above the park. The grey, almost leaden, atmosphere seems to press down on the structures below, amplifying the sense of isolation and introspection. Swansea’s brushwork, delicate yet deliberate, captures the interplay of light and shadow as it dances across the glass and steel, while the jagged vertical lines of the surrounding buildings pierce the sky, creating a dramatic tension that feels both unsettling and mesmerising. Swansea is celebrated for her ability to evoke a sense of both specificity and universality within a single canvas and her work often straddles the line between the distinct and the indistinct, creating scenes that feel both intimately familiar and broadly resonant. Among her recurring subjects, New York City holds a special place. Swansea paints the metropolis with a melancholic romanticism, capturing the deep, nostalgic longing that permeates the lives of its inhabitants – a yearning for a bygone era that lingers just beneath the surface of the ever-changing urban landscape.
Swansea’s choice of palette further enhances this mood. The muted tones, ranging from soft charcoals to deep silvers, evoke a feeling of temporal ambiguity. The viewer is caught in a moment that feels at once contemporary and timeless, as though the scene exists in a perpetual state of twilight. The architecture, often dismissed as merely utilitarian, is elevated to the sublime, its sharp angles and reflective surfaces suggesting a modern cathedral, a place of quiet reverence amidst the bustle of the city.
What is particularly compelling about crinkle cuts is its ability to evoke a visceral sense of déjà vu. There is an uncanny familiarity to the scene, as if the viewer has stood in that exact spot before, gazing up at the sky with a similar sense of foreboding. This sensation of recognition, coupled with the disquieting atmosphere, creates an experience that is as much psychological as it is visual.
The composition of crinkle cuts is strikingly evocative, dominated by an overcast sky that looms ominously above the park. The grey, almost leaden, atmosphere seems to press down on the structures below, amplifying the sense of isolation and introspection. Swansea’s brushwork, delicate yet deliberate, captures the interplay of light and shadow as it dances across the glass and steel, while the jagged vertical lines of the surrounding buildings pierce the sky, creating a dramatic tension that feels both unsettling and mesmerising. Swansea is celebrated for her ability to evoke a sense of both specificity and universality within a single canvas and her work often straddles the line between the distinct and the indistinct, creating scenes that feel both intimately familiar and broadly resonant. Among her recurring subjects, New York City holds a special place. Swansea paints the metropolis with a melancholic romanticism, capturing the deep, nostalgic longing that permeates the lives of its inhabitants – a yearning for a bygone era that lingers just beneath the surface of the ever-changing urban landscape.
Swansea’s choice of palette further enhances this mood. The muted tones, ranging from soft charcoals to deep silvers, evoke a feeling of temporal ambiguity. The viewer is caught in a moment that feels at once contemporary and timeless, as though the scene exists in a perpetual state of twilight. The architecture, often dismissed as merely utilitarian, is elevated to the sublime, its sharp angles and reflective surfaces suggesting a modern cathedral, a place of quiet reverence amidst the bustle of the city.
What is particularly compelling about crinkle cuts is its ability to evoke a visceral sense of déjà vu. There is an uncanny familiarity to the scene, as if the viewer has stood in that exact spot before, gazing up at the sky with a similar sense of foreboding. This sensation of recognition, coupled with the disquieting atmosphere, creates an experience that is as much psychological as it is visual.
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