Matt Borengasser

Matt Borengasser is an American painter known for his landscape paintings of Asian locations. His paintings are completed on location in one setting and follow more expressive traditions of the fauvists and lesser-known schools such as the Society of Six in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Characterized by instinctual compositions, flat use of color and sometimes rapid application of paint, the paintings pay homage to the subject matter without being overworked. Paintings that represent a “gist” of the subject matter while at the same time avoiding over-generalization. Many of his works include renegade elements and imperfections that surface as part of the process and are left when they support the final product. Off-again-on-again production results in a constant re-acquaintance with the painting. Ways of paintings and use of material are reviewed creating a unique disposition towards the work.

Matt’s landscape paintings are inspired by Paul Cezanne’s small brushstrokes and fragmentation of the picture plane, as well as Fauve artists in terms of color vision. Henry Matisse’s ability to caricaturize subjects while producing a believability that is anything but cartoonish can also be seen in Matt’s portraiture. Monet’s gesture and ...