A pitch-black background dominates the composition. In the lower third, a small circular cake rests on a platter, its edifice heavily ornamented by cherries and rose petals and topped with still-lit candles slowly consuming themselves.
The Red Cake, Rockport (2023) is the most powerful artwork in Cig Harvey’s solo exhibition Emerald Drifters at Jackson Fine Art, not only because of its dramatic composition but because it beautifully describes the central theme of this show: Color, in all its hues, is first and foremost light. The works in this show explore the language of light and sight, offering a conversation which at times delights with its eloquence and grace and other times fumbles with bluntness.
The beauty of compositions like The Red Cake, Rockport is manifold. Emerging from complete darkness as the subject does, not only is the cake the only color in the composition, it is also the only thing visible, therefore inextricably interconnecting color with vision. Further, the cake itself is an illuminated subject. The candles that riddle the top of the cake are the only visible light source in the composition.
There’s that word again, “visible” — the subject is both color and light in equal parts. Importantly, the candles also serve as temporal devices, reminders that the scene captured here is slowly decaying and the candles are slowly devoured. Time, while not obviously connected to vision, serves an important role by encouraging the viewer to savor a fleeting moment.
In Harvey’s work, the nuance of color is revealed. While the title of the artwork would lead one to believe that the composition is composed entirely of reds, closer examination reveals fiery oranges, cool pinks and plum purples. Even one isolated color contains a spectrum of shades.
