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Jack Balas — The Moral Compass
Finding the right time and place
Jack Balas creates dense visual puzzles about time and place. Balas
invites us to imagine how the pieces of his puzzle might fit together,
even though they seem to defy logic. Why is a nostalgic image of air
travel mapped onto this grid? What is the significance of the phases
of the moon that are placed so precisely on the grid?
Creating a sense of mystery
Balas doesn't distract us from these intriguing questions with his
technique; his exacting detail makes his imagery immediately
recognizable, and draws us in to inspect and interpret the work.
Imagine your response if the artist had drawn your attention to the
paint instead of the imagery. If he had painted the phases of the moon
as vague outlines, we might focus on their ambiguity and not on the
mystery of the piece as a whole. The balance of the piece would be
thrown off. But because we can read them as a reference to the passing
of time, they add another layer of intrigue to The Moral Compass.
Is Balas suggesting that our moral sensibility evolves over time?
The art of illusion
Balas keeps the painting focused so that we are free to explore the
engaging questions his image raises. His technique is precise without
hiding the fact that he works with paint. He created the airplane
image using an antique photograph as a reference, and emphasized its
vintage feel with a monochromatic palate. The colors fade from black
to pale gray, creating a sense of depth; this technique is known as
atmospheric perspective. Notice how the landscape seems to recede as
the color fades, the outlines blur, and the contrast between light
and dark is minimized. Balas' handling of paint is sufficient to
create an illusion of depth, without drawing attention to itself.
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