Tributary

Rosemary Cotnoir uses perspective to blur the lines between figuration and abstraction in Tributary. She remains faithful enough to reality that the viewer has a chance to discern the figurative forms contained in the canvas immediately. I say "chance" because the initial recognition of the painting as an aerial view of a tributary and surrounding forest is far from certain. I will never be sure if I would have been able to quickly decipher the figuration, as I read the title upon first encountering the work (I’d say the odds are 50/50). Still, the beautiful rivulets of acrylic traversing the canvas are undoubtedly enigmatic. What I find most fascinating about the work is how it uses figuration to juxtapose the two polarities of abstraction: hard-lined geometric abstraction (the tree tops) and gestural abstraction (the flowing waters). In this way, Cotnoir reveals the ubiquity of abstraction in our seemingly figurative reality.