Contrapuntal Painting Study (9/25), 2025

James Lumsden  

Artwork by Scottish artist James Lumsden. This piece is divided horizontally, showcasing a vivid fiery red in the upper section and a deep, midnight blue below. The colors are highly contrasting yet possess a translucent, luminous quality.

By choosing a title from the world of music for this series, the artist wanted to draw an analogy: “The paintings are not about music, but they aspire to the condition of music: I hope that the viewer will respond to the paintings as they would do to a piece of music, without the need for words. As with music I'm hoping the work instils some sort of feeling in the viewer."

James Lumsden's abstract paintings explore themes of light, colour and depth. His creative process involves superimposing dozens of thin layers of acrylic paint and gel gloss onto the canvas. This mixture is worked with specific tools to conceal or bring out traces and marks. Layer by layer, the artist succeeds in creating an illusion of depth and light within the painting, immersing the viewer in a mysterious and seductive universe.

The traces and marks of colour meet on the surface but seem to emerge from within the canvas, in what the artist defines as “an act of fixed movement“. Translucent, vibrant colours are juxtaposed and blended to create delicate yet bold and contrasting combinations. Thanks to this pictorial technique, which skilfully combines chance and control, the material support is transformed into a poetic work of art full of emotion.

“I want to see something brought to life, struggled for, with a sense of having its own history, and reflective of the time spent on its creation. My aim is to create something positive and affirming which is filled with both light and darkness, contrasts, hesitations and contradictions – open paintings which allow the viewer's imagination to search, wander or react at will." – James Lumsden.